GEARING UP FOR TROY TURKEY TROT
Organizers discuss the 71st Troy Turkey Trot during a news conference
TROY, N.Y. >> Officials are gearing up for the 71st edition of the Troy Turkey Trot.
A news conference was held Wednesday at the Troy Atrium, ahead of the race, which is set for Thanksgiving morning.
On hand during the event was Troy Mayor Patrick Madden, Event Director George Regan, Associate Director of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York Tracey Martin, Executive Director of Joseph’s House & Shelter Kevin O’Connor and Chief Customer Experience Officer of Pioneer Bank Jesse Tomczak. They were also joined by volunteers, mascots and some costumed runners.
“This is more than just a run it’s also an opportunity to support some critical local charities that do so much for our local community,” Mayor Madden said of the great community run and gathering. “As you’re registering for the Turkey Trot we encourage you to also click on the button to make a contribution to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York or to Joseph’s House or you can do both,” Mayor Madden added.
“It’s a terrific event for Joseph’s House. We’ve been around 35 years, the Trot’s been around 100 years on and off and it’s a great connection for our community to come in and have fun for a good cause,” O’Connor said of the connection between the race and Joseph’s House. “We benefit by a lot of great contributions and donations and volunteers as well as increased awareness of what we do in the community. Our job is to provide non-judgmental services to end homelessness. Last year we sheltered 1,000 men, women and children and we
couldn’t do it without all of the help,” O’Connor added to the organization’s efforts.
As for the race itself, Regan spoke to its enduring tradition and noted some new and interesting features added to each of the races.
“Between 1916 and 1963 it was run 22 times. Since 1964 it’s run continuously 55 times. We’ve actually run the event for 70 years, this will be its 71st edition, as it started in 1916 this will be its 102nd anniversary,” Regan said of the longstanding tradition. “So that is his- tory and that is five generations of people that have experienced it and want to see it continue. I think that’s the reason that it is so popular, besides the fact that the Mayor said it is on Thanksgiving Day and people know they’re going to be consuming a big meal and they want to burn some calories and then the fact that this is a family thing to do, they can come down with the whole family and they can participate and run in this event it’s a great thing,” Regan added.
Regan also highlighted how the race features participants from several different states.
“Those 37 states, we don’t recruit runners at all for the Turkey Trot, there’s no runner recruiting and yet we have 37 states represented, these are all people coming back to be with their family here in Troy, so I think that is very poignant and it’s certainly not missed by me,” Regan said of the wideranging participation.
Regan also mentioned how they will have family teams as well this year.
“We added family teams to the mix, wehave eight categories, mother- daughter, sister-sister, husband-wife, father-son, brother-brother, so I think that also adds to the community of the event,” Regan said of the numerous race combinations.
A new feature has also been added for those per- haps traveling back into town or thinking about rolling out of bed at the last minute and wanting to get into the fun.
“The first bib and chip pickup will be this Sunday the 18th of November, you’ll be able to get these clip- on clear plastic bags with a Turkey Trot logo on it so when you come back on race morning the 22nd you’ll be able to put anything in there and be able to come on through the security that’s here. The Wednesday prior, the 21st of November from 11 to 6 we’ll be doing a bib pickup and t- shirt pickup and of course on race morning, Thanksgiving morning the 22nd we’ll start here at 6:30 a.m.” Regan said of the bib and bag pickups.
“You’ll be able to register on race morning, here in person at the atrium, up to 20 minutes before the start of your event. Day of race registration is something that we decided to do so we could make it convenient for those people who are coming into town late,” Regan added of the registration times.
Regan also spoke about the history of the race and how it has expended over the year.
“It’s very interesting to have the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of that Great War [ World War I] that we had and the fact that the United States sup- plied one million men to that battle and 200,000 were wounded or perished, that this event started to support those veterans I think is an incredible connection that we have,” Regan said of the event’s beginnings and added how it has expanded to help those in need up to the modern era of the race.
“Then we continue that effort to support our community with the work that we do through Joseph’s House and Shelter and with the Regional Food Bank, so we’re just carrying on the tradition of the Troy Turkey Trot here in the Capital District. It’s very rewarding and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Regan added.