 |
 |
 |
|
| 14th annual Turkey Trot draws record number of racers | |||
| Thursday, November 24, 2011 13:29 |
|
Photo by Bob Kane, Design Photography
By ANDY WINEKE, THE GAZETTE A record crowd of 2,934 runners at the Briargate YMCA Turkey Trot started their Thanksgiving day by pre-burning some of the calories to come. Some of the racers were serious runners, some, dressed as pilgrims and American Indians, less so. Check out a photo gallery of the race! No one had a more original get-up than Tim Thompson and his sons Cal and Mac, who got in the seasonal spirit in a three-man costume bearing the letters “Sal” “Mo” and “Nella.” “We figure salmonella helps with the runs,” Tim Thompson said. It was the fourth year in a row for the family costume, and Thompson’s teens were taking it in stride. “The first couple of times, they weren’t so willing,” he said. “That’s why this guy (Mac) is wearing a mask.” Karl Kelsch was dressed like a pilgrim and pushed his 3-year-old son, Kameron, in a stroller made up as the Mayflower. “I’m never going to win the race, so I’ve got to make it a spectacle,” Kelsch said. The 52-degree temperature at start time was quite a change from last year, when single-digit temperatures greeted runners, said C.J. Moore of race sponsor Kaiser Permanente, who was representing her company in a giant broccoli costume. “Last year at this time, it was five degrees,” Moore said. “I was grateful for the costume.” The balmy weather pushed attendance up by more than 600 runners from a year ago, a record for the 14-year-old event, said Joe Driskell, executive director of the Briargate YMCA. “Certainly when we have weather like this, we have a larger turnout,” he said. Driskell said this year’s race is expected to raise about $40,000, which goes to the Y’s community support campaign, which helps low-income families access YMCA services. “It all stays right here in Briargate,” he said. |
.jpg)
