By Jed Dearybury, PAL Volunteer, Friend and Turkey DAY 8K Star!
- What better way to prep your body for the impending caloric intake that is your Thanksgiving feast?
- You stand a pretty incredible chance of being on the news or in the paper which makes you a local celebrity.
- The streets will be monitored for your safety by some of the finest public safety officials in the country, and someone will need to run by and thank them for their service.
- Where else can you see turkeys and pilgrims dressed in running gear?
- The weather is always like being in the story of Goldilocks… not too hot, not too cold, but just right! Except for that one year when it was 19 degrees at the start.
- An 8K is less than 5 miles, and you walk more than that when you visit Disney or Carowinds. You can do it!!!!
- The top 75 men and top 75 women get an awesome, and highly coveted, Turkey Day socks. Someone has to win them, it might as well be you!
- There is no cost to enter. Just bring canned goods to help fill local food banks. You will get your exercise and feel good about helping your neighbors.
- You are gonna take a nap later in the day from all that turkey, so there’s really no need to sleep late on Thanksgiving morning.
- There’s is nothing more gratifying than celebrating gratefulness with a thousand of your closest community members as you run through the streets of Sparkle City.
For the last 6 years I have made my way downtown to start my day of thanks with this fantastic run. Thanks to my good friend Thomas Webster, my first year running it was also my first year as a volunteer. Since that initial year, the run has become as much a part of my holiday as the turkey and dressin’. This Thanksgiving, why not start a new tradition? Throw on some running gear, lace up your shoes, and meet me downtown for the annual Turkey Day 8K. This is hands down one of my most favorite races of the year. There is something about running down familiar streets with familiar people and places that just makes the gratitude overflow. I promise you won’t regret it!
