Tacoma to Host Annual 5K Turkey Trot

Each year, Tacoma holds their an­nual 5k run, the Turkey Trot. On Thurs­day, Nov. 26th, the Tacoma City Mara­thon Association will be holding the 21st annual Turkey Trot.

The event began in 1995 and gets bigger every year. Starting at 9 am, the run will start at Fleet Feet Sports (3812 N 26th St, Tacoma, WA, 98406), circle the North End of Tacoma, and con­clude back at Fleet Feet. The finish line recovery area will provide fruit and water.

The 12-year-old event transformed into a vital Tacoma tradition. Claudia Hansen, the director of operations for the Tacoma City Marathon Associa­tion, is excited for this year’s race. “It is fun! We are a company that puts on races and we do that for a living. It’s nice our company actually exists and flourishes,” she says. Hansen enjoys seeing “families coming together at an event directly where the company is,” which is upstairs from Fleet Feet.

When asked what challenges come with hosting such a big event, Hansen says that “the biggest [challenges] we have to work with is since the run takes place on roads, we have to work with the city and the police to get road clo­sures.” They also have to work with a road signage company to make sure there are signs so the runners know where they are going.

The Tacoma City Marathon Asso­ciation is dedicated to making their marathon an enjoyable experience because they are all passionate about running. Hansen started working for the association when she found a “help wanted” sign. “A few years ago, I was working a corporate job,” she says. “It was a pretty high-stress situation. There was some burnout. But what I liked to do in my free time was run.” When she found that the association needed help, she decided to switch her career and go into something she enjoyed. She told herself, “if that’s what you want to do, then go for it.”

Although the race is in a few days, there is still time to register. Online registration closes tonight, Nov. 23rd, at midnight, and tickets will be $35. The price will increase to $40 on the 25th at Fleet Feet, and then to $45 on the day of the race. Registration on race day starts at 7 am and ends at 8:45 am. All fees are nonrefundable.

According to the official Turkey Trot website, they encourage partici­pants to wear Thanksgiving costumes and accessories.

Although you can come with stroll­ers, dogs are not allowed.

The race also includes a “gear check” where you can store personal items in a tent until you have finished the race. However, event organizers do not ad­vise keeping valuables here, since they “are not responsible for lost or stolen items.”

There are also awards for the event. Separated by age, awards will be pre­sented to the top five runners in each specified group. The first age group is 9 and under, then “10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50- 54, 55-59, 60-65, 65-69,70-74, 75-79, and 80+.”

If you are unable to make the Tur­key Trot, the next holiday race will occur around Christmas time and is called the Santa Runs, which will fea­ture a half marathon and a 5K.

For more information, visit TCMAEvents.com