Running

Trotting with the Troy Turkeys

40th Anniversary Celebration

by Laura Clark

Why did the turkey trot down the road?
…To prove he wasn’t chicken

When the leaves start to turn, we become nostalgic about high school football games, cross country meets and bonfire celebrations. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, tradition is not only expected, but also demanded. For many competitive and recreational runners, Thanksgiving morning is synonymous with the Troy Turkey Trot.

From its inception in 1964, with a field of forty-four celebrants, to last year’s record 3,456 entrants, the race has become the Thanksgiving place to be. According to Vince Juliano of Schenectady, a 20-year Troy Turkey veteran, trotting with the turkeys is one of the Capital District’s oldest running traditions. In fact, Troy’s version, weighing in at 40 years, is the third oldest race in New York State, right behind the Yonkers Marathon (78 years old) and the Buffalo Trot (108 years old).

What is it about the Troy Turkey Trot that has enabled it to endure? Perhaps part of the answer comes from the city’s long-standing respect for tradition. Troy, renamed in 1789 after the ancient Greek city, is a place where custom is important. During the War of 1812, “Uncle” Sam Wilson, a Troy butcher who contracted to provide meat to the U.S. Army, gradually morphed into the Fourth of July Uncle Sam. Then, in 1823, The Troy Sentinel was the first to publish Clement Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas. So Troy citizens were naturally predisposed to make the Thanksgiving turkey more than just an item on their holiday menu.

Now, of course, almost every large town has its Turkey Trot or Gobbler Gallop. So what makes Troy’s turkeys different from all the other turkeys out there? According to race director Bob Barnes, these turkeys, while sticklers for tradition, are not afraid to move with current trends. Initially, trotting was restricted to high school and open males. But in 1972, in keeping with the changing sports scene, female open competitors were invited. In 1980, a women’s division was added to the open 10K race along with a girl’s high school race and a boy’s grade school mile. Three years later, grade school females were included. The last major restructuring took place in 1999, with the high school events merging into the open categories and the addition of the Trot Chip, designed to fit the scrawniest turkey leg. Also added was the Turkey Walk, a 1.5 mile jaunt for senior turkeys and spectator flocks who want to be part of the action.

For those who prefer to encounter their Thanksgiving turkey already plucked and basted, it is a mystery why over 3,000 people would voluntarily rise at the crack of dawn to chase down their own bird, whether real or mythical. For many years Hunter Currin chased his personal Troy turkey, leaving his wife, Cathie, at home to deal with kids and guests. Hunter laughingly recalls, “Cathie had strong feelings about that race.”

Still, despite the myriad of kitchen tasks at home, many families participate as a group, forging their own traditions along the Trot Track. Maryanne and Dan McNamara, parents of two Saratoga Streaks, recall that their son, Dan, first enjoyed the grade school mile, and now that he is away in college, looks forward to returning each year to run again with his old high school buddies. For many, the race is less of a competitive event than a reunion with old friends and family members who have joined other flocks.

Turkey Veteran Vince Juliano observes that the goal for many is simply “…meeting family and friends for one last festive run before the winter arrives.” For Debbie Choiniere, of the Saratoga Stryders, the cheering crowds and large field lend a marathon, big-time atmosphere to the event, which many runners might otherwise never have the opportunity to experience. Debbie runs to celebrate the day, to earn a big dinner afterwards, and to gawk at all the costumed runners masquerading as turkeys. It is a mini-version of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, except that there are so many events that everyone has an opportunity to participate.

For some, the Turkey Trot is the only race they will run all year. A few overly optimistic Thanksgiving warriors will make it only as far as The Ale House neighborhood pub just past the one-mile mark, where they will toast to the health of those turkeys that are in good enough shape to run away from waiting kitchen tables.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere and less than ideal weather, serious runners come out in droves, lured by the flat course paralleling the Hudson River. Maryanne McNamara expresses the sentiments of many when she explains, “If you’re in good shape, and you’ve trained all summer, you can get a good PR [personal record]”.

A glance at the roster of past winners reveals many familiar names. Charlie Shrader was among the earliest, with his wife, Cathy, winning the first woman’s race. Pat Glover, Tom Dalton, Lori Hewig, Denise Herman and Ellen Predmore are other familiar Capital District winners. Most famous, perhaps, is Cheri Goddard-Kenah, the 1999 Freihofer’s Run for Women champion, who racked up three Trot wins in 1993, 1995 and 1996. Emily Bryans of Schenectady, 10K winner in 2000, sums it up, commenting that “…what amazes me about the race is that it draws top level competition and big crowds on a day when you think it would be easier just to stay home and eat.”

When interviewing Bob Barnes, the Race Director, I was similarly impressed to learn that the grade school mile typically attracts between 600 to 700 kids. With the current worry about childhood obesity and lack of exercise, it is gratifying to learn that kids still do enjoy challenging themselves outdoors. And not all these kids are there just because their parents happen to be runners; many come to have a good time with their friends and are the ones dragging their parents along. Some, like Chuck Rogers, who got his start in the grade school mile, later went on to win in the high school division. Others, like Mary Ryan, who got her start in the high school competition, later went on to capture the title in the woman’s open division. And there are countless others who have done the same. What finer Thanksgiving tradition could there be?

The Troy Turkey Trot 5K, 10K, 1-mile grade school race and 1.5-mile turkey walk will take place on Thursday, November 27, 2003. For more information, call the Gobbler Line at (518) 235-8993 or register online at www.troyny.org.

For a complete list of Thanksgiving Day runs and walks, including the Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot 5K in Saratoga Springs, please see the Events Calendar.

Laura Clark (laurac@sspl.org) of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, snowshoer and cross country skier. She is a children and young adult’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

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