SUDBURY -- The Turkey Gobbler Trail Race took place on the morning of October 13 for Thanksgiving weekend at the Walden Cross Country Fitness Club trails.
Runners at the event gathered for different reasons.
One runner said they attended "because I love to run. I do school races and I just find it very fun."
"I think it's just a good family activity, and Thanksgiving is about spending time with family," said another.
The young ones got things started with their one kilometre run. Older racers could choose between three kilometres and a beasty eight kilometres.
"The eight kilometres is very challenging… There's some single track, lots of hills and in this weather it's going to be cold and slippery and a real cross country grind," said Neil Phipps, Race Director.
"My goal is to improve from last year. I've been doing some workout during the last few months including some track work and speed work, so I really want to improve from last year," said Scott Hopkins, eight kilometres racer.
Organizers say they were overwhelmed with this year's turnout despite the unpredictable weather.
"This has actually traditionally been a high day of race registration but this year, we were really pleased to see a lot of people signing up ahead of time. So our numbers are very good," explained Phipps.
When it came time to cross the finish line, everybody had their own style.
Some crossed casually while others crossed sprinting, making every last second count.
As for Hopkins, he says he accomplished his goal of beating his last years' time by about 25 second.
When asked what was the most fun about the event, one racer said, "the most fun was the dilly bars at the end and running in nature."
Whatever the reason, there were smiles all around, both before and after the race.
All fund raised go towards the Walden Youth Nordic Racing team.
