On the morning of Thanksgiving, thousands of people lined up to race the 34th annual Turkey Trot. With the race being sold out, there were many friends and families ready to race. The race was filled with all types of people — children, parents and lots of friends. The 5K race was the perfect way to prepare for the big feast later that day.
Race participant and Park junior, Johanna Oost, said she had a lot of fun running the race with friends.
“My favorite part was all the people cheering us on and running with my friends. It was an enjoyable experience to do with friends,” Oost said. “We all just had a lot of fun.”
According to Char Myers, Turkey Trotter and Park mom, the racers had lots of fun dressing up for the race.
“The Turkey Trot was a lot of fun this year,” Myers said. “I enjoyed seeing all the costumes. People were dressed as turkeys and some even had drumstick headbands, it was really fun to see.”
Junior Lucas Tangleson, who also participated in the Turkey Trot, said the race is a nice competition between friends.
“It’s been really fun. Honestly I’d usually go with my friends and it’s either a friendly competition or just hanging out, so it’s a great opportunity to spend time with people,” Tangleson said. “My favorite part of the turkey trot is beating Paxon Myers every year, even though he’s a cross country runner.”
According to Oost, having the Turkey Trot in downtown Minneapolis was a lot of fun due to all the unique buildings throughout the city.
“It was cool running in the center of the city and seeing all of the cool buildings that line the streets,” Oost said.
According to Tangleson, seeing friends and peers on Thanksgiving made the holiday and Turkey Trot much more enjoyable.
“There’s a bunch of people from our school or other people that I knew and it’s good to see them and interact with them on a holiday,” Tangleson said.
Myers said Thanksgiving is all about being with family, and seeing all the different families running together really got her into the holiday spirit.
“It definitely impacted the holiday spirit. It was fun to see so many families out on a turkey trot,” Myers said. “There were a lot of really young runners and a lot of parents running with their kids, and it was just fun to see the family affair, which is what Thanksgiving is all about.”
According to Tangleson, finishing the race is a highlight when you have a big meal to eat hours later.
“(I like) finishing the race and then going to eat some Thanksgiving lunch,” Tangleson said. “It made it so I had an empty stomach and I could eat even more food.”
According to Oost, running before the Thanksgiving festivities put her in a good mood.
“It released a lot of endorphins before the big meal, so I was in a great mood throughout Thanksgiving because I started my day right,” Oost said.
According to Myers, there’s lots of anticipation for the meal after a morning of running and taking pictures.
“I really look forward to eating after the turkey trot and looking through the photos and the people at the end with their medals,” Myers said. “That kind of thing is very fun.”
