The GRC participates in Thanksgiving fitness activities!

'Twas daybreak on Thanksgiving, and the pies had been prepped, the turkeys had been thawed, the wine had been stockpiled, and a hush had fallen upon kitchens across America. Chefs would soon take to their roasting pans and basters, TVs would soon be tuned to the day's football entertainment, and dinner rolls would soon undoubtedly be forgotten in the oven, but the early morning hours belong to the turkey trotters, whose pre-race peanut butter-banana toast is at odds with the typical gluttony of the day. Fortunately, the GRC likes to break the mold, and its members were scheming to dominate races from coast to coast before the food comas set in.

The GRC was out in full force at the Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 miler. Tom Kelly made the impossible possible with a PR, and ex-pat Matias was first in the stroller category with TWO passengers along for the ride. No man (or child) left behind on Thanksgiving!

5. Kevin McNab 25:38
8. Tom Kelly 26:05 (PR!)
10. Chris Van Es 26:16
11. Paul Guevara 26:31
21. Matias Palavecino 28:43 (plus Leo and Chloe)

Congratulations as well to Matias' wife Katie, who finished in 36:26, and Chris' mom, who placed first in her age group!

The GRC was also represented well in Nazareth, PA at the Pumpkin Pie 5k. Sam Luff repeated as winner of the race and also of a pie, and Dickson Mercer finished in third but also won a pie! Exact pie details were not given, but pumpkin seems like a likely candidate. We're also unsure as to whether the pies were eaten at the Thanksgiving table or whether they might have been better suited to a post-race recovery snack.

Julie Tarallo, meanwhile, not only secured the coveted bib number 1 at the Tiger Turkey Chase 5 Miler in Easton, MA, but managed to snag an approximately Julie-sized frozen turkey with a winning time of 30:27. Julie shows off her turkey hoisting ability below. Note: this was not consumed as a post-race snack.



The Youngs had a successful showing in Toledo, taking home two Dutch apple pies at Dave's Turkey Chase 5k. Beth locked down third place with a run of 19:20, while Breezy ran 17:47 for 12th. Breezy also doesn't seem to be thrilled with the quality of this year's haul. Mama Young better step her baking game up for this pie snob!

Also in the humble state of Ohio, Blake Taneff won the Chase Columbus Turkey Trot 5 miler in an excellent 24:42.

Kieran O'Connor got the win in 31:30 at the Troy Turkey Trot 10k in upstate NY. Pay special attention to his new signature "OC" victory pose. The jury is still out on whether it will catch on.





Mike Franklin repeated as the winner of the Morris Township Thanksgiving Day 5k Turkey Trot in Morristown, NJ, with a time of 15:58.5, while middle distance star Cecilia Barowski, whose weekly mileage used to be mainly made up of the Wednesday workouts' warm up, ran an excellent 18:36.0 for 5th place in a competitive field.

Katie Kieran won the Y Turkey Trot Charity 5k in Towson, MD in 17:42.

Up north, native Minnesoootan Kyle Wagener battled snow and mid-thirties temps to finish 5th in a competitive field in the Minneapolis Turkey Day 5k with a time of 15:55. He was rewarded with a pumpkin pie for a top ten finish and braving what is probably a typical fall day in Minneapolis.

Closer to the familiar oval of BCC, three of GRC's favorite men ran the Bethesda Turkey Chase 10k. Luke Meyer got the win in 31:26, Paul Balmer was 5th in 32:14, and Sean O'Leary finished 7th in 33:33.

Cabell Willis and Teal Burrell secured matching second place finishes in the Richmond Turkey Trot 10k, running 32:21 and 38:14, respectively, despite their generally very different race length preferences. Teal's husband Rusty also competed well, running 46:38. He didn't quite make the cut for the post-race photo, however.

Ryan Witters also finished in second place at the Goodwill Turkey Day 5k in Evansville, IN, running 15:00 in a competitive field.

Phil Royer took the roads of Newport, RI and social media by storm with a win in 24:43 at the hilly, competitive 30th Annual Pie Run and with the below family photo, which garnered the most Facebook likes he's ever received. Well done on both fronts, Phil!

Speaking of photogenic families, Laura, Dave, and Greta O'Hara ran, ran, and stroller-rode (respectively) the Fairfax Turkey Trot 5k. LTO ran an impressive 19:33 for the win, finishing with an incredible kick, and Dave O and Greta crossed the line in 21:41.

The Reiches also showed some family unity in finishing only seconds apart at the Way Station's Turkey Trot 5k in Frederick after spending a few days in Costa Rica. In her first race as a Reich, Stephanie got her new name off to a good start with a win in 17:49 and Stewart appears to have outkicked her with a finishing time of 17:45. You'll get him next time, Steph!

In the creatively named town of Forty-Fort, PA, the Olenginski brothers went 1-2 in Tim's Turkey Trot. Luk ran 25:18 for 5 miles and Greg followed in 25:58. Greg and Luk (or is it Luk and Greg?) will look to take over the podium again in a few weeks at clubs clubs clubs!

 

 

 

Frances Loeb was truly in the giving spirit on Saturday, as she spent the first mile of her turkey trot helping to pace a friend to run a sub-20 minute 5k for the first time. Due to her supreme negative splitting ability, which we've seen many times before, Frances still ended up finishing as the first woman and fourth overall finisher on a hilly course with a time of 18:47.

 

In the wilds of Laurel, MD, Susan Hendrick welcomed herself home from a week in the tropics with a first place showing at Tom's Reindeer Run 5k in 19:18, which was also good for third place overall. Santa was apparently on hand for this race as well. We've entered the Christmas season, folks!



Developing...