photo credit: Cate Woolard
The crisp morning air, the starting line ahead, everyone lines up in anticipation and the race is about to begin. Turkey trots are yearly races on Thanksgiving, where friends and families come together to spread holiday spirit.
Every Year on Thanksgiving day, many local towns hold a Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot is a yearly event hosted in many towns such as Delaware, Upper Arlington, Dublin, Powell, and many more.
“Besides running a turkey trot, there are lots of people to talk to, food and Thanksgiving activities so everyone can celebrate,” Turkey Trot runner Sophomore Bella Conforti said.
The Turkey Trot is a fun tradition for lots of people. Not just runners, but lots of different people love to be a part of it as a way to celebrate with friends and family.
“This race has become a fun Thanksgiving tradition for many families. They rise up early, walk/race and enjoy great family time then still have the rest of the day for Thanksgiving activities. It’s something that everyone can do. Some people dress up as turkeys, we see turkey hats and turkey feathers, family pets as well as babies and kids in strollers and grandparents with canes,” Delaware Turkey Trot race director, Teena Yeary said. “There is a Little Gobblers race for kids 12 and under.”
The Turkey Trot is not just a small thing, according to RunSignup, in 2023, there were a total of 754 Turkey Trots in all 50 states, in total, 276,932 racers were registered to run in 2023. At a lot of these races some type of reward is given out at the end, the DElaware race is no exception
¨Trophies are rewarded as well as a swag bag with free race shirts, medals and goodies. Free snacks and Crumbl Cookies are given out to each racer at the end,¨ Yeary said.
The Turkey Trot also does lots of good for the community. The organization partners with charities to help give back to the community.
“The one I do is in Findlay, so it supports a lot of local businesses in Findlay, which I think is a great cause,” Conforti said.
Specifically, the Delaware Turkey Trot partners with The Autism Society of Central Ohio (ASCO). ASCO is an organization that advocates for people affected by Autism, providing community and education.
“All proceeds from this race go to the Autism Society of Central Ohio. ASCO is an affiliate of the Autism Society of America which was founded in 1965. ASCO has been improving the lives of all affected by Autism for over 25 years, providing advocacy, education, information and referral, support and community in Central Ohio,” Yeary said.
The Delaware Turkey Trot is deeply connected to ASCO. The race was started by New Beginnings Church to show support for the children in the church affected by Autism.
“New Beginnings Church began this race 13 years ago as a way to show support for an organization that is very dear to our hearts. We have several families in our church congregation that have children on the autism spectrum,” Yeary said.
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