In an attempt to off-set the inevitable weight gain over the
Thanksgiving holiday, Susan signed up for the Forma Turkey Trot in Walnut Creek
held Thanksgiving morning Thursday, November 27. Ron, stayed
home to walk the dogs before picking up Thanksgiving dinner catered by Whole
Foods Market. Given the good weather this year, it seemed like a fair trade off
for both parties involved.
The event started and ended at Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive
in Downtown Walnut Creek, CA. The event distances included a 5K and a 10K plus
three Kids’ fun runs (½ mile, ¼ mile, and 100 yard dash). This was the 22nd
Annual Turkey Trot hosted by Forma Gym which is rapidly growing in popularity with over 7,000 registered runners this
year and their largest festival venue to date. Forma Turkey Trot.
There was still plenty of parking within a block or two of
the start line if you arrived by 7 am. With temperatures of 45°F at race start
and no bag check, it was convenient to drop off extra layers at the car just
before race start at 8 am.
Given the Fall Thanksgiving holiday, orange seemed like a good "accent" color for the race.
You have a choice of t-shirts when you register for the
race. The standard t-shirt is cotton (light blue shown below) and for $6 more
you can upgrade to a technical fabric shirt (royal blue show above).
You have to provide your own costumes and tutus of course.
The 5k and 10k racers started together without much of a
wave start which made for a crowed course for the first three miles. For many
of the participants, this was their first 5k which raised the level of
excitement in the air. Most people were not taking this race seriously. Since
most participants were local, you could hear residents shouting out to greet
their neighbors, friends and family all along the course. In fact, there were
people you know there but didn't know they were there until they passed you on
the course. A shout out to Rudy Van Pelt who recognized me after he passed me
on the bridge over Ygnacio Valley Road. Thanks to Facebook where we learn a lot
after the fact what we missed out on in person!
The race started off heading south on North Broadway. The
out and back loop gave us a chance to say hi to friends along the way. We
turned left on Newell Ave for a couple of blocks before heading north on North
Main Street. The first water stop was located just past mile 2 and was well
stocked with helpful volunteers. A quick right turn onto Lincoln Avenue,
brought us back to Broadway and onto Civic Drive for the turn into Civic Park
for the 5k finish. Amazingly enough, the start line had already been torn down
by the time we got back 30 minutes later in preparation for opening the roads.
After navigating around numerous strollers and weaving in
and out of the crowds on narrow parts of the course, the turn for the 5k finish
line was not only a welcome site for the 5k participants but it was also a
welcome respite for the 10k participants who now had much more room to maneuver
on the rest of the course. The 10Kers continued north on Civic Drive which is
where I caught up to long time TNT marathon walker Barb Scramstad (who we have
always admired as one of the fastest walkers on the Team). The Iron Horse Trail
was familiar territory having trained there with Team in Training many times. The
second water stop was at Waldon Park before we headed back South toward the
finish line.
The only disappointment in the race was that there were no
race medals for the participants at the finish. After the race there was a
costume contest. A few adventuresome people had planned ahead and coordinated
turkey themed head gear.
This creative trio even included
pumpkin pie for dessert!
The majority of people participating in the event were
wearing standard running or walking clothes including us!
 |
| From Left to Right: Alexandra Mandujano, Nancy Ryder, Barbara Scramstad, Jackie McQuarrie, and Susan Carino |
All in all, it was a well-run race. The warm sun at the
finish was most welcome.
The event organizers are alerting people to upcoming changes
planned for next year. Given the growing size of the race, they will be changing the course to accommodate even more turkeys and those who choose to trot
with the turkeys on Thanksgiving Day in 2015.
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