by Noella Noelophile®
(Logo courtesy of Justin Rudd, and used with permission.)
Gobble-obble-obble-obble-obble!
OK, I couldn’t resist.
Now that I’ve got your attention–the Long Beach Turkey Trot is happening next week, on Thanksgiving Day.
Or, to be more specific, the Long Beach Turkey Trot 5K and 10K Run/Walk–along with a kids’ 1/2 Mile Wingding for Charity.
Hosted by Justin Rudd, the Turkey Trot is both a fundraiser and a fun Thanksgiving tradition, since 2003, in Long Beach.
And you’re invited to participate, either as a runner or walker, or to sign up to volunteer on Wednesday and/or Thursday. For participants, here’s a link to the registration form.
(Royalty-free image by Phan Dinh Chuong from Pixabay.)
The event
There will be two 5K and 10K start times, for both the run and the walk: 7:30 a.m., and
9:10 a.m., on Thanksgiving Day.
Participants can pick up their registration packets at the “Turkey Trot”, start line at 1 Granada Avenue, on Wednesday, November 27th, between 4 and 5:30 p.m. Or, if you can’t make it on Wednesday afternoon, you can pick up your packet on Thanksgiving morning, after 6:30 am–but at least 30 minutes before your start time.
And participants are requested to bring donations of breakfast cereal, canned fruit, mac and cheese, tuna or peanut butter for the AIDS Food Store, when they come to the packet pickup or event.
Each registrant receives a T-shirt and bib, and there’s an added bonus: every 15th person gets handed a pie as they cross the finish line!
Meanwhile, for the “Wingdingers”, the start times are 8:40 a.m. for ages 8-12, and
8:50 a.m. for ages 7 & younger. Parents may accompany participants on the 1/2 “Wingding” route; please register and sign the liability waiver for the Wingding and wear your bib.
(Royalty-free image by Monfocus from Pixabay.)
Now is the time
However, you may want to register now.
Registration fees, as listed on Justin’s website, are $45 per adult participant until November 20th; $50 until November 25th; and $55 until Thanksgiving Day, November 27th.
For children participating in the “Wingding”, fees are $35, from now through Thanksgiving Day. And if the turkey’s run away with your schedule and you need to sign up on the day of the event (it happens!), registration is cash-only.
These fees support a great cause.
On his website, Justin shares that the Turkey Trot raises thousands for 501(c)3 nonprofit Community Action Team, which puts on more than 25 annual events in Long Beach. These include Operation Easter Basket, the monthly 30-minute Beach Cleanup, Haute Dogs, Operation Santa Paws and much more.
Volunteers, please!
One final note: volunteers are needed, both on Wednesday and Thursday. Multiple shifts are available; here’s the link for volunteer registration. Please consider bringing two food items for the AIDS Food Store collection; again, peanut butter, mac and cheese, breakfast cereal and canned tuna are among the requested items.
Thanksgiving Day volunteers are scheduled so that they can leave at 10:40 that morning, to go home to their family celebrations.
And if Long Beach Turkey Trot is anything like all the other fantastic events Justin and Community Action Team have sponsored, it’s going to be a festive start to a great day.
The Long Beach 5K/10K Turkey Trot and Kids’ 1/2 mile Wingding happens Thanksgiving morning, November 27th, at the boat launch at 1 Granada Avenue. This is a rain or shine event, with the first runners and walkers leaving at 7:30 am. The course is along the beach, and concludes back at the starting point. Registration is cash-only, onsite, and T-shirts are not guaranteed to late registrants or late packet pickups.