Wrangellites will have a chance to work up their appetites on Thanksgiving Day thanks to a new 5K Run/Walk.
The Dirty Turkey Trot is a 3.2-mile charity run/walk. It starts at the covered basketball court, goes around the Volunteer Trail once and includes a portion of Spur Road and the golf course before it ends up back at the basketball court. Organizer Lucy Robinson said it’s suitable for all abilities.
“You can bring strollers. I don’t necessarily encourage to bring dogs, but by all means go ahead if that’s what people want. And if it would stop them from coming if they couldn’t bring their dog, go ahead. But I would say bring a leash. It would be really nice to not have dogs running all over the place,” she said.
She said there is a five dollar entry fee, but all the proceeds go to the Salvation Army Food Bank.
“I’ve always thought that sitting around at Thanksgiving and eating is pretty amazing, spending time with family. But also to add to it to go out, grab some friends and some family and get some exercise and get outside. It feels really good. I like to run, and I know there’s a lot of people out there that like to run and to walk. So I thought why not get people together and have some fun with it,” she said.
Robinson does point out the word “dirty” in the 5K’s title. She hopes to get participants a little muddy during their run/walk.
“This year I was thinking of having two stations, one of which you would have to do some sort of ‘Nam crawl’ or roll. So you would get some sort of, whether it’s dirt or grass on you. So I would encourage people if they are interested in coming that they need to wear something that they’re not afraid to get dirty. And this is a rain or shine event. Whether it’s raining and blowing sideways, or it’s sun shining and very cold and clear, we’re going to do it,” she said.
Robinson said she’s hoping for at least 15 people to take part and would like to see about organizing more events like this one in the future.
“Even if we don’t have a lot of people show up, I just want to spark some interest and see if I can get more people interested in more runs. Because I’d like to do other runs focused around holidays or events like Alaska Day, Easter, different things that people would be interested in,” she said.
Anyone who wants to take part should dress appropriately, grab a few friends and family members and meet at the basketball court at 8 Thanksgiving morning. The run/walk starts at 8:30.
