RUN Wenatchee

Runners crest the hill on Woodward Drive during the 2014 Turkey on the Run.

By Steve Maher
RunWenatchee.com

WENATCHEE — This coming Thanksgiving, Wenatchee Valley residents will do what so many others do around the country: Sit back to enjoy the holiday — and all its food offerings — with family and friends.

For 1,000 or so folks, however, the feast will not happen until they have run or walked either 5 or 12 kilometers in the annual Turkey on the Run race in Wenatchee.

The eighth-annual event, put on by RunWenatchee and presented by Biosports Physical Therapy, will begin at 8:45 a.m. Thanksgiving morning with a short kids race at Rotary Park. The 5K and 12K will follow at 9 a.m. Both of the runs start and end at the park, utilizing roads on the west edge of the city for courses.

The event benefits the Women’s Resource Center of North Central Washington. Participants can supplement the money raised by bringing non-perishable foods for the Women’s Resource Center to Rotary Park the morning of the race.

“Over the past few years, Turkey on the Run has really cemented itself as a holiday tradition here in the Wenatchee Valley,” said Joel Ryhner, a partner in RunWenatchee and the event’s race director. “It fits with what a lot of people want to be doing on Thanksgiving morning — running or walking with friends and family, working up an appetite, having fun, and contributing to a good cause. That combination has contributed to the race’s growth.”

In 2014, Turkey on the Run attracted a record 1,064 registrants, making it the second largest road running event in Wenatchee behind only the Wenatchee Marathon, Half-Marathon and 10K (about 1,200 registrants this past April). In 2013, Turkey on the Run saw 920 people register. The year before that, 680 turned out.

The 5K and 12K races are chipped timed by BuDu Racing of Seattle. The first 800 paid registrants receive a commemorative fleece beanie.

Turkey on the Run will again serve as the fall finale for the Columbia Valley Girls on the Run program. This year, about 50 local girls, ages 8 to 12, will run in their first 5K. Each girl will be accompanied by an adult running buddy. RunWenatchee gifts each of the girls and their running buddy a free entry into the event.

Online registration is available through 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, at https://wenatcheeturkey.eventbrite.com. People also can register in person from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Pybus Public Market, and from 7:30 to 8:50 a.m. Thursday at Rotary Park. Packet pickup also is held at those times.

On race morning, motorists are asked to watch for runners and walkers along Western Avenue, Springwater Avenue, Woodward Drive, Fifth Street and Number One Canyon Road. Springwater Avenue (west of Western Avenue) and Woodward Drive will be open to local traffic only. RunWenatchee also has contracted with the Wenatchee Police Department to provide traffic control in the vicinity of Rotary Park.

Turkey on the Run
Time and date: 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 26
Location: Rotary Park, Western Avenue and Maple Street, Wenatchee
Course map: https://www.runwenatchee.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TurkeyonRun2015Map.pdf
For more information: https://www.runwenatchee.com/