Tallahassee Turkey Trot 15K/10K/5K/1M

Tallahassee, FL, November 22, 2001

[15K Results | 10K Results | 5K Results | 1M Results ]

Results courtesy of the Gulf Winds Track Club.

Race Report

Family blessings counted
Turkey Trot 2001
November 22, 2001

By David Yon

As Mary Jean and I poured through the results for the Thanksgiving Day record crowd of 817 finishers (the most since 1982) one fact stood out - we kept seeing last names repeated over and over. If there is one word that seems to describe this event as much or more than any other it is "family." From the one mile to the 15K, check the results and you will see fathers and sons, grandmothers and grandsons, brothers and sisters all running together. There were brand new runners such as Emily Peters (age 16 months, daughter of Michael and Karen Peters) and veterans such as Rosalie Myers (age 90). The Sanguiliano family brought three generations ranging from 12 years old to 73 and took advantage of the family discount by registering at least six family members.

Youth was well served with over 160 runners under the age of twenty (80) in the one mile) running the races. The top ten of the featured 10K race contained five finishers under the age of 20 and six under the age of 25. It was especially rewarding to see the runners who have benefited from GWTC help and support participate Thanksgiving Morning in this event. Runners from Maclay, Godby, Lincoln and Bell Vue showed up in force to make Thanksgiving Day special. Deerlake won the Kent Vann Partners in Excellence Award bringing the most middle school runners, while Judy Alexander led North Florida Christian to an elementary school award by packing up boxes of goods for the Refuge House and Shelter.

It was also a record day for volunteers. I will do a separate thank you later (when my eyes uncross), because so many people gave up a large portion of their Thanksgiving to help out. There were the "old reliables" who are always there - even if they have a broken rib (Jeanne O'Kon) - and some entirely new groups. The volunteers from the Refuge House proved this event was not just about receiving as they gave back in a big way. Lincoln and Godby provided ROTC help and other volunteers.

The joint venture with the Refuge House was a wonderful success. It has promoted GWTC to a new section of our community and brought new opportunities and ideas to the race. The accounting is not final, but I believe we will have raised over $15,000 net for the Refuge House. It has brought some very special new friends in Connie and Mika Fowler into the family and enabled us to tap into the full energy of one of the areas most special people - Mary Register.

Most importantly, we cannot say thanks enough to all of the runners and walkers who showed up and participated. Wow! You have all made Thanksgiving 2001 something special.