Audio By Carbonatix
Of the approximately 30,000 participants in this year’s Turkey Trot, you can divide those runners into two categories: those who are trying to work off their Thanksgiving meal before they eat it and those who just want a license to pig out when that stuffed bird hits the table. The Trot has a three-mile fun run/walk course for those healthy individuals who think running three miles is fun or for the family members who get dragged out of bed early and think running or walking is torture. Once these runners cross the finish line they should be allowed to eat heartily and return to the kitchen for seconds.
Then there are the masochistic eight-mile runners who will gallop through Deep Ellum, stride easily among the downtown skyscrapers, push themselves a little harder over the Houston Street viaduct into Oak Cliff and pace themselves back to City Hall over the Jefferson Street viaduct. These runners deserve carte blanche at the Thanksgiving table, and when their plates are empty, somebody should fetch them more food because their poor knees will be shot and they won’t be able to walk to the kitchen. This year the Trot will have different start times for the eight-mile and three-mile races with the eight-mile at 9 a.m. and the three-mile 15 minutes later.
This will give the more competitive runners fewer dogs, children and strollers to stumble over. Though it was always a nice boost to the ego in previous years when one of those overly enthusiastic, obnoxiously energetic health nuts in a brand-new tracksuit would pass you and then suddenly take the left turn at the three-mile split. They might look cool for three miles, but they can’t hack eight. Water, bananas and other refreshments are available at the finish line, but remember to save room for some turkey.
