26,000 people participate in Turkey Trot races.
Some 26,000 runners hit the city’s streets to raise money for local charities
SAN JOSE — While most commuters enjoyed a day of rest on Thanksgiving, Lori Sievert left her Livermore home and hit the freeway before sunrise to trot the streets of downtown San Jose in the 11th annual Silicon Valley Turkey Trot.
The event, which features 5K and 10K races to raise money for local charities, has become a Thanksgiving morning tradition for the Sievert family.
And despite grappling with type 2 diabetes, Sievert, a school band director, pushes herself to brave the November temperatures in the upper 30s to make it past the finish line. Her husband, Daniel, has walked by her side the past three years.
“It’s hard to get out of bed, but you do it because you can,” Sievert said. “It’s something fun to do before eating dinner and sitting around doing nothing.”
Sievert was joined by an estimated 26,000 participants Thursday, many of whom have made the Turkey Trot a family event. Now in its 11th year, the event, which started with just 1,900 runners, has blossomed into one of the largest races in
the country.
An estimated 4,300 turkey trots happen around the nation every Thanksgiving, with seven in Santa Clara County in cities including Mountain View and Palo Alto. Other Bay Area events happen in Pleasanton and Piedmont.
The 5K and 10K races in San Jose kicked off at 7:30 a.m. on Santa Clara and Market streets and finished at Santa Clara and Delmas streets. The local event, run by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s charitable foundation, raised $936,000 for five charities last year. Selected by the foundation’s board of directors, the five charities to split the money this year are the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, the Housing Trust Silicon Valley, Healthier Kids Foundation and the Health Trust.
One of the event’s sponsors, tax and auditing firm PwC, agreed to donate $1 to the Second Harvest Food Bank for every person passed by runner Jane Allen, one of the firm’s partners. By the end of the 5K race, which is just over three miles, Allen passed 10,778 people.
“I was just looking for a turkey trot to feel less guilty about that extra piece of pie,” Allen said moments before the race took off. “Now I’m running for people that don’t have enough to eat.”
Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino said $1 donated to the food bank generates two meals for someone in need. He estimated this year’s event will raise $925,000 to $950,000 — just shy of the group’s $1 million goal — for the charities.
“It’s such a blessing to look down the street and see 26,000 people as far as the eye can see giving up their Thanksgiving to give back to others,” he said.
More than 95 state legislators and local officials, along with 100 Silicon Valley CEOs, also trotted in the races on Thursday. The notable lawmakers included state Assembly members Nora Campos and Evan Low.
San Jose resident Lynna Bui gave up her Thanksgiving morning, but said she gained something far more valuable — teaching her kids to be active from a young age. She stood on Santa Clara Street with her two daughters, Callista and Allegra, as they bounced around to keep warm. The girls, along with their two cousins, were gearing up to participate in the 5K run for the third year in a row.
“We want to motivate them to stay fit,” said Bui, 42. “And it’s for a good cause.”
Some participants dressed in turkey-inspired costumes, while others wore matching T-shirts. A pair of siblings from San Jose took creativity to a new level. Matt Giusti dressed as a giant handshaped turkey — like the ones kids draw in grade school — while his sister, Rae, was a box of crayons. The costume took more than 35 hours to make, but it’s not the first time Matt has dressed up — he was an ear of corn for last year’s race.
Rae, who attends college in Southern California, came home to San Jose for the holiday.
“I’m just excited to be here,” she said, adding a piece of advice for other runners. “Wear lots of layers and have a good attitude.”