VERO BEACH — Invigorated by the crackle of a crisp autumn day, close to 1,300 runners and walkers gathered at Riverside Park for the sixth annual Thanksgiving Day Trot Against Hunger, a 5K Run/Walk fundraiser known affectionately as the Turkey Trot, to benefit the Harvest Food and Outreach Center.
With shivers and smiles, families and friends gathered together to start the day reflecting on all they have to be thankful for and hoping to share their good fortune with others who might be hungry and hurting.
Presented by George E. Warren Corporation, the event drew runners from all over the United States and as far away as Canada, Ireland and Sweden.
It’s a festive family affair – everyone from babies bundled up and pushed in strollers to seniors (the oldest a spry 86) keeping pace with participants half their age.
A cluster of eager youngsters started things off with a sprint to the bridge at Memorial Island and back.
“Clear the road; some of these kids will run right over you,” laughed volunteer emcee Hamp Elliott of 93.7 The Breeze.
Hats made to look like cooked turkeys, complete with paper frills on the legs, head-bands with Thanksgiving themed toppers and Pilgrim hats bobbed in the breeze as runners lined up for the start of the race.
“I bought it for this race,” said Trever Spicer of his turkey chapeau, adding that he also wore it for the St. Helen’s Harvest Festival 5K.
Friends Allison Huck and Kyrstin Clodfelter, decked out in orange boas and Thanksgiving headbands, brought along little Olive, a tiny pit bull mix rescue who is now a service dog.
“This is her first race; she wants to run,” said Clodfelter.
Serious runners led the pack, bursting out from lopers and walkers – all cheered equally from the sidelines.
Even one of Vero’s favorite sons, Jake Owen, was spotted running with Team Owen pals.
“Halfway through the race, we were both passing a woman who had her ear-buds on,” related Eugene O’Neill.
“She saw him and said, “I was just listening to you.””
The event has clearly resonated with the community. It began in 2006 at the First Church of God with only a few hundred runners and really took off when it moved to Riverside Park the following year.
Fellsmere’s Marsh Landing restaurant got involved the next year, providing batter for runners to enjoy a sweet potato pancake breakfast.
This year they added a Turkey Trot Challenge, encouraging individuals and teams to raise additional funds by asking friends to sponsor them and help in the fight against hunger and poverty.
Great prizes were donated for the top contributors – a Runner’s Depot gift certificate to the top individual, tickets to Legoland for the top family team, a Ziplining party at the Brevard Zoo for the top youth team, and a dinner party at Avanzare for the top business team.
“On Tuesday we did our annual Turkey Outreach,” said Annabel Robertson, executive director of Harvest Food and Outreach in Indian River County.
“We gave out 300 Thanksgiving meals – a frozen 20-pound turkey and all the sides. We did 1,000 altogether on all three campuses.”
“It’s become a tradition with lots of families. It’s the biggest race in Vero,” said Linda Urban of Runner’s Depot, which did a yeomen’s job coordinating the registrants and race details, and setting everything up well-before the crack of dawn.
Marsh Landing whipped up 15 20-gallon buckets of sweet potato batter, enough for 2,600 pancakes, cooked on the spot by fast-flipping volunteers from Catering by Adrienne Drew.
Drew and her crew began at 1:15 a.m. to start cooking the 2,800 sausage links they brought along.
“They make it from scratch and they smell amazing,” said Drew of the cinnamon scented batter.
She gave credit to husband Dwight Perry, mother Miriam Drew, and cooks Sonja Ealy and Susie Liddell for helping her out.
“They have my back; they’re the ones who will come out at 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.”
“I think it’s a beautiful day,” said Harvest founder Austin Hunt.
“It’s a great turnout; it’s becoming a great family tradition for a lot of folks in the community. Turkey Trots are traditional around the country; we were fortunate to get this day on the Treasure Coast. We want it to be a Thanksgiving tradition for as many as will participate in it. It’s a great way to start the day – get up, put the turkey in the oven and come out to help others.”
The overall male winner was 14-year old Caleb Pottorff at 15.51 and female was 20-year old Grace Heath Thomas at 18.16.
Male and Female Masters winners (over 40) were Bruce Holmes at 18.14 and Mary Lunn at 20.07.
