Race #10/12 - Keizer's Turkey Dash

I started Thanksgiving Day off on the right foot as this event is meant to be fun for anybody not just seasoned athletes. Whether you call it a Turkey Trot or a Stuffing Strut, it is perfect for anyone who wants to kick off Thanksgiving Day with a bit of exercise and a lot of fun! It's that time of year when turkey lovers, runners, and friends gather for an appetite-inducing morning of good-natured competition. We were able to get our run, walk, or waddle on. Before the big games, the big meal, the parades and the pies, why not get in a little exercise with a few hundred others? It’s an event the whole family will enjoy or anybody at all! Many have made the “run” or “walk” a Thanksgiving Day tradition, or at least it will be from now on in my case.

One of the best things about this race was the opportunity to exercise before my celebrating with family. The race began and finished in front of Lowe's at Keizer Station. Walkers and runners headed out of the shopping area and looped around a nearby residential neighborhood before returning to the finish line.

As freezing temperatures hung over the valley as did a fog that lingered like the smell of that turkey cooking, it didn't stop the more than 800 runners/walkers who headed out to Keizer Station for the 2nd annual Keizer Turkey Dash 5K. Whether feeling a need to fuel a running void or solely to get those calories burned off before the day's feasts, we all braved the cold morning and participated in what is sure to be a Thanksgiving staple for many years to come. We headed north in the quiet Keizer Station streets before veering off into the neighborhood streets of the Gubser neighborhood via a small tunnel under the railroad tracks. There were a few volunteers who also braved the freezing temperatures at the busier intersections, but it looked like they were all pretty bored with the lack of car activity and they passed their energies instead to us runners and walkers as we passed.

This race exceeded all expectations and the Mid-Willamette Valley (and others) showed up in droves for a great race. I envision this one continuing to grow and I know this will be on my yearly race calendar.

I have to give a BIG should out to Kriss who braved this cold freezing Thanksgiving morning to do this race with me; I know she had many other things she would have rather been doing. For the things my friends have done for me, I am extremely thankful. Happy Thanksgiving all!