Aspen Turkey Trot back for its third running
Courtesy photo |
Josh Meyer wasn’t about to let Chris Field’s turkey go to the dogs. Well, the race, anyway.
The Aspen Valley Young Life Turkey Trot is returning for its third running Thursday morning, this time with Meyer doing most of the race organizing.
“It’s nice in this case because Chris Field has done it the last two years, so a lot of those pieces are in place,” Meyer said. “I just need to follow up and see if people will do what they did the year before.”
Turkey trots are popular Thanksgiving Day races held across the country. Field, an Aspen local, started one in the Roaring Fork Valley in 2015 after realizing locals didn’t have one of their own.
“We’re one of the most active towns,” Field said in 2015. “I was shocked.”
With Field still out of state — his wife recently gave birth to twins — Meyer wanted to step in and make sure Aspen’s turkey trot still had legs for 2017. Meyer competes in many of the local races, most recently wining the Boogie’s Buddy Race on the Fourth of July. Wearing the infamous turkey costume, he won the inaugural Aspen Turkey Trot in 2015 before taking second last year to a man from Salt Lake City.
“It’s just a fun, community event for the day of Thanksgiving,” Meyer said. “Rather than let it drop off, I was, ‘We still have to make it happen.’”
Meyer will let someone else wear the turkey costume this year, although he hopes to still run in the main event, a 5-kilometer race that begins and ends at the Aspen Golf Club. The course, which goes through nearby neighborhoods on Cemetery Lane and Silver King, is the same as it’s been the past two years. Meyer expects winners to finish the course within 20 minutes.
At stake for the top man and woman is a Thanksgiving Day turkey. This year’s sponsors include Clark’s Market, Paradise Bakery, Ute Mountaineer and ANB Bank.
“You can go out and you can have fun and get a good workout and then you don’t feel guilty pigging out later,” Meyer said. “It should be a lot of fun.”
The early-bird cost for the 5K race is $35, with day-of prices going to $40. There will also be a one-kilometer fun run for kids for $15. Visit http://www.aspenturkeytrot.com to sign up beforehand.
Proceeds from the race will benefit Aspen Valley Young Life.
