Ballard hosted the fifth annual Seattle Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and thousands laced up their running shoes for the 5K run and walk to benefit the Ballard Food Bank.

The fun-run or walk took people from 32nd Avenue NW and NW 85th Street down to Golden Gardens, and participants were cheered on by neighbors along the way.

The event benefited the Ballard Food Bank and last year’s $19,000 in proceeds was the amount to beat.

This year, organizers were hoping for 2,000 participants and by the pre-registration deadline that amount was already met. Adding the people who registered the morning of the race, this year was the biggest Turkey Trot yet.

Nancy McKinney from the Ballard Food Bank said the event exceeding their expectations.

“It was really, really awesome. The turnout was great, the weather was perfect. It’s just a great community event,” McKinney said.

The Seattle Turkey Trot was started five years ago by Ballardites Erin Fortier, Matt Ramme, and John O'Brien.

“During Thanksgiving, people spend a lot of time thinking about food. We want to raise money for those in our community who are helping the hungry,” said Matt Ramme, one of the event’s organizers, in a statement. “We chose [to support] the Ballard Food Bank because it is a local Ballard non-profit and people can connect the run with a nearby organization.”

“In my family it was a tradition to go for a run on Thanksgiving morning,” added Fortier. “It was a way to spend time with family on the holidays and feel better about all the food we’d be eating for the rest of the day.”

In the first year fifty people participated. Today it has grown to well over 2,000 participants.

McKinney said organizers will shoot for 3,000 participants next year.
“Let’s grow it!,” she said.