Turkey Trot another success
I鈥檝e devised a theory that, for what it蘑菇视频 worth, is quite popular with women and very appropriate for Thanksgiving Day.
I walked in my third Turkey Trot 5K, solo, because the person who first encouraged me to participate in the holiday race, former colleague Cecelia Jo Record, was out of town.
Well, here蘑菇视频 my idea.聽
I maintain participating in a 5K creates a 鈥渃alorie-free day鈥� after the race. Over the teeth and past the gums, but not on the hips, around the belly or applied to the behind.
Plus, throw in exercise on a cold, occasionally snowy day (cause we burn more calories when exercising in cold weather) AND running or walking for a good cause (those folks at the Salvation Army do wonderful work) and that turkey and pumpkin is burned up in no time!
The organizers truly threw the participants for a 鈥渓oop鈥� by altering the traditional two-loop course around the business district to one big 5K loop. Most accounts favored the change, though, on a personal note, those railroad tracks are a bit tough for a walker like me to navigate.聽
Youth was served in the 5K run with the top runners barely able to drink.
The Cramers of Indian Head came ready to run with older brother Andrew, 21, took first in 17:01. Younger brother Matt, 19, was third with a time of 17:40.
Slipping in between the brothers was Uniontown graduate and current American University runner Nate Edenfield, 18, with a time of 17:36.
Connellsville graduates Joe Baughman and Nick Miller rounded out the top five to give Falcon alums the unofficial team title.
Jennifer Locke-Hoffman, a Brownsville graduate who won the WPIAL cross country championship, was the first female to finish in 13th overall with a time of 18:55.
Hoffman looks just like she did when she was running for the Lady Falcons. I saw her jog by on her cool down run as I was completing my walk. (It蘑菇视频 so disheartening at times to see some runner cooling down and I still have a mile to go.)
The field was dotted with champions, including this year蘑菇视频 county champion Braden Carei and past champs Julie Gerber, Julie Friend and Edenfield, as well as at least one all-American (Friend).
Coaches put their shoes where the mouths were with Bob Costello, Matt Loomis, Matt Girod (the first coach to finish in 18th place), Joe Kuhn and John Fortugna among those who ran and walked.
Classmate and longtime friend Charlie Wortman got all hyped on he was going to crush his PR as he crossed the finish line only to realize he was checking out the walkers鈥� clock (which started three minutes after the run), but still pulled in a respectable time for someone his age of 22:34.
Beth Gaudio, who was a pretty good volleyball player in high school and one of my running buddies, completed her first 5K in a respectable 29:19. Hopwood蘑菇视频 Kim Nicola, the person who unwittingly entered Ms. Gaudio, enjoyed the day in 35:57.
I crashed what likely the only post-race tailgate to exchange a few stories with Connellsville蘑菇视频 John Coleman, Scott Davin, John Faris and Sam Brooks as they had a post-race beverage to rehydrate.
Davin, who like Wortman ran for Geibel cross country back in the day, gave away the era of his running heights with his wardrobe 鈥� stirrup leggings from the not-so-near past.
As for me, I closed my walking season with my best time of 2014, 33:16. I though myself third, but finished fourth. Someone between me and Don Slusser apparently used the Invisibility Cloak or some Divination from Professor Trelawney (after Miss Record discovered I HAD NOT read Harry Potter, she pressed me to do so by giving me the books to read), but I was tickled with my time and the unique 鈥渢urkey clock鈥� given to the top five finishers.
So, I understand Thanksgiving prep time and all, but I鈥檇 consider grabbing family and friends and competing in the 2015 Turkey Trot!