This Thanksgiving was different. I know, surprising, right?
Though I had registered on Black Friday last year for this year’s Webster Turkey Trot, and therefore was eligible to run in-person, I just didn’t feel that the potential risk was worth it. (This is not knocking the great effort that Yellow Jacket Racing went to to adjust procedures to allow for an in-person option for those that wanted it.) And, the atmosphere would be completely different, with no huge crowd of runners at the starting line, and no huge crowd of spectators cheering us on as we finished. So, I opt-ed to convert my registration to the virtual option.
I decided to do my run on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was decent weather — around 40℉ and no rain/snow.
I ran along the Erie Canal towpath in Fairport. Without the crowds, I wondered if it would be hard to push myself.
I finished with a time of 32:10, which was 42 seconds faster than my effort last year, and my fastest average pace for a race ever (7:19/mile; 4:32/km)!
- 11 of 326 overall (so close to getting in the top ten!)
- 4 of 26 in Male 40 to 49 age group
Hopefully next year on Thanksgiving morning I can return in-person with thousands of other runners to experience the 50th Webster Turkey Trot!
Trying To 