Beloved longtime Manchester Road Race starter dies at 72

The longtime starter of the Manchester Road Race has died, according to race organizers.

Bob Moran died Tuesday at the age of 72.

Moran had been the Manchester Road Race's official starter since 1989, organizers said.

“I called him the fastest runner at our race,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee in a release on the race website. Carta pointed out that Moran would have to sprint to the site of Main Street to avoid runners after he fired the starter's pistol.

The Manchester Road Race is held every Thanksgiving and attracts thousands of runners from Connecticut and across the country.

“Bob always had a smile and a joke, and we are extremely grateful for his many decades of wonderful contributions to our race. He will be terribly missed,” Carta said.