The seventh annual Seattle Turkey Trot, a 5 K fun-run or walk, will take place Thanksgiving morning, November 28, 2013, starting at 9:00 a.m. at 32nd Avenue NW and NW 85th Street, in the Sunset Hill neighborhood in Ballard, and ending in Golden Gardens park. Early Registration is $25; $15 for children (10 & under); the deadline is November 19th. All proceeds from this family-friendly event will benefit the Ballard Food Bank.

Last year, over 2,000 people participated and over $50,000 was donated to the Ballard Food Bank. 3,000 participants are expected this year.

“The Ballard Food Bank is grateful to have the support and participation of many Ballard residents for this year’s Turkey Trot,” says Rebecca Butler, Ballard Food Bank Board Chair.

The Seattle Turkey Trot was started by Ballardites Erin Fortier, Matt Ramme, and John O'Brien. “In my family it was a tradition to go for a run on Thanksgiving morning,” says Erin. “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.”

Eight years ago, the Ballard trio ran in the Portland Turkey Trot and plans for a Seattle Turkey Trot were formed. At the time no such Thanksgiving-day event existed in Seattle.

With little to no event planning experience, the friends sent email invitations, printed t-shirts, and mapped out a scenic Ballard route. Fifty people participated the first year. “Everyone had a great time,” says Matt. “We saw great potential to expand the event.”

“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,” says Matt Ramme, one of the event’s organizers. “We chose the Ballard Food Bank because it is a local Ballard non-profit and people can connect the run with a nearby organization.”

This year’s Trot is being organized by Fortier, Ramme, O’Brien and staff and volunteers from the Ballard Food Bank.

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