MANCHESTER, NH — John Mortimer of Millennium Running, in conjunction with Manchester city officials, has postponed his annual Fat Tuesday 5K to Saturday, February 13 at 1 p.m.
John Mortimer, President of Millennium Running stated, “After speaking with city officials we have made the decision to postpone the FatTuesday 5K to the scheduled make-up date which is the following Saturday, February 13 at 1 p.m. Given the magnitude of the First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary on scheduled race day of Tuesday, February 9th, and the needed access to the downtown area by the news media and the public, we feel postponement is necessary.”
The First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary is a national news and spectator event. Several national media outlets have contracted for premium space downtown for live broadcasts and thousands of spectators are expected to visit the city to experience the First-in-the-Nation primary. Additionally, the city will experience higher voter turnout increasing street traffic at peak times within the city. Any closure of streets or disruption of traffic during this time would not be positive for the city, the First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary or race participants.
Mayor Ted Gatsas added, “I would like to personally thank John Mortimer for his flexibility on the re-scheduling of this race. Millennium Running is an important partner when it comes to economic development in the Queen City and in addition to the Fat Tuesday 5K they bring five additional signature races to the downtown including the Santa Shuffle, the Shamrock Shuffle, the ½ way to St. Patty’s Day 5K, the Trick or Trot and the NH Fisher Cats Thanksgiving Day 5K. Our businesses greatly benefit from their participants and we look forward to continuing a strong partnership between the City of Manchester and Millennium Running.”
Individuals registered for the “Fat Tuesday 5K” race should visit www.millenniumrunning.com for additional information.