Turkey Trot

Get ready for Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning

Guest — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 23:40:05 +0000

Guest (not verified) Mon, 11/11/2013 - 3:40pm

Photo courtesy of Ballard Turkey Trot

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.

Follow Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ballardnewstrib

And Twitter at http://twitter.com/ballardnewstrib

Almost time to trot, turkey-style; 6th Annual Turkey Trot coming up

Guest — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:40:25 +0000

Guest (not verified) Thu, 11/08/2012 - 10:40am

David O'Neal, Ballard Food, Bank Board Member, gets the word out about the Turkey Trot by being a turkey.

Courtesy of Seattle Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving morning, you can help feed families. All you have to do is trot.

The sixth Annual Turkey Trot, a 5k fun run or walk, will take place Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 22.

The run starts at 9 a.m. at 32nd Ave NW and NW 85th St, in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Ballard, and will end at Golden Gardens Park.

Early registration, by Nov. 13, is $25. All proceeds will go to the Ballard Food Bank.

Last year, over 2,000 people participated and over $38,000 was donated to the Ballard Food Bank, according to organizers. This year, 3,000 participants are expected.

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

Where did the Turkey Trot come from, anyway?

According to the press release sent out by organizers, it was started six years ago by the Ballard Trio Erin Fortier, Matt Ramme and John O'Brien.

For Fortier, there was a personal connection to the idea of a Thanksgiving morning run.

“In my family it was a tradition to go for a run on Thanksgiving morning,” Fortier said. “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.”

But it wasn't until the trio ran a Turkey Trot in Portland that they realized they could make one happen in Seattle, which had no such event. Though they had very little to no organizing experience, they set about to do just that, mapping out a route, handing out flyers and t-shirts and gathering support. Their first run had 50 people, a modest start to what has become a much larger event.

Why Ballard Food Bank?

“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 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.”

For more informationa bout the Seattle Turkey Trot, visit www.seattleturkeytrot.org/

SLIDESHOW: a cold and snowy Turkey Trot

amrook — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 19:55:13 +0000

amrook Thu, 11/25/2010 - 11:55am

People were in high spirits at the Turkey trot.

Anne-Marije Rook

Click on image to start slideshow.

Snow and freezing temperatures did not keep runners away from the annual Seattle Turkey Trot in Ballard.

The money raised at this event goes to the Ballard Food Bank. Last year 1,100 people participated and raised over $19,000 for the Ballard Food Bank. This year, organizers were hoping to do even better.

"The snow only added an extra wrinkle and though process but it's going well," said Nancy McKinney, Director of the Ballard Food Bank at the starting line.

"Everyone is in great spirit and 1,500 people signed up,"

David O'Neal, one of the organizers of the Turkey Trot said that the food bank supports 800 families in Magnolia, Ballard and Queen Anne.
"The cool thing about this event is that for every dollar donated, we donate $3 worth of food," he said.

This event is a casual run/walk. There's no personal timing and no exact 5k course.

For many participants it's more about doing something fun with family and friends than it is about shooting for a personal best.

Melissa Negretti from Greenwood was doing the run with perhaps the youngest participant of the Turkey Trot. Pushing her newborn baby in a stroller, Negretti said this is her first run since having the baby.

For the Colemans it was a family affair also. Peter and Leslie Coleman were in town to visit their sister, Nancy Coleman, who convinced them run the Turkey Trot together.

For one couple however, the run meant something more. Rebecca Diaz and Augustin Ruiz, both soldiers from Texas, enjoyed their last run together on American soil.

"I'm in Seattle at the Port before I'm getting deployed," Ruiz said. "So this is our last run in the U.S."

If you recognize anyone in the slideshow let us know and we’ll make sure they get tagged appropriately. anner@robinsonnews.com

Turkey Trot

Ballard

Robinson Papers