66th Annual Troy Turkey Trot Slated for Thanksgiving Day:
Nation’s 12th Oldest Road Race Introduces Costume Contest, New 10K Course, Corporate Cup and More
TROY, NY (November 8, 2013) — The 66th annual Troy Turkey Trot, one of the oldest and largest road races in New York state, is slated for Thanksgiving morning (11/28) and will incorporate a number of upgrades to ensure a festive, family-oriented holiday morning.
The event, which drew a record field of 8,167 registrants from 36 states last year, features a 10K, 5K, Grade School Mile and Turkey Walk. Changes for the 2013 edition are as follows:
- By popular request, the 10K running route will return to the traditional “out and back” course configuration along River Street/2nd Ave. This will allow runners to easily spot friends in front or behind them.
- For the 5K event, officials will introduce color-coded start sections. Runners will line up in the section corresponding to their bib color. This upgrade from the 2012 event will guarantee a safe start, with less congestion, for all runners.
- The 10K starts at 8 a.m., while the Grade School Mile and Turkey Walk now begin at 9:30 a.m. and 9:35 a.m., respectively. The 5K is the morning’s featured event and starts at 10 a.m. This schedule ensures that runners have plenty of time after their event to prepare for their Thanksgiving Day celebrations with loved ones.
- All Turkey Trot participants will receive a dry-fit commemorative t-shirt. 5K, 10K and Grade School Mile participants will receive finishers’ medals, while walk participants will receive custom event pins. This year the Grade School Mile will utilize automatic chip timing, the B Chip (chip-in- bib format).
- A Costume Contest will reward individual and group prizes for “Best Thanksgiving Costume” and “Most Unique Costume.” A panel of media celebrities will assign points to each entry based on three criteria: creativity, presentation and functionality.
- A “Corporate Cup” team competition has been added to this year’s 5K. Corporate cup team awards will be allocated to the first place corporation in three categories: male, female and mixed.
“The Troy Turkey Trot has been bringing families together for Thanksgiving since 1916 and continues to evolve each year,” said Troy Turkey Trot Event Director George Regan, noting that the trot is the 64tholdest road race in the world. “Based on the tremendous success of last year’s Trot and the improvements we’ve added for 2013, we’re anticipating another record field.”
“The City of Troy welcomes families and individuals from all over the Capital Region and beyond to the home of Uncle Sam for our longstanding, festive tradition,” said Mayor Lou Rosamilia. “This mainstay event holds a lot of nostalgia for us and we are thrilled that it continues to grow each year.
“Last year’s trot featured 235 family teams consisting of eight family categories like mother/daughter, father/daughter, mother/son, etc.” Rosamilia added. “The Troy Turkey Trot has truly turned into a family celebration.”
Registrations for all events opened at troyturkeytrot.com on Oct. 1. While registering online, all participants are encouraged to make a donation to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, this year’s “regional” charity, or the CYO Center, this year’s “local” charity. All spectators and participants are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to the Troy Atrium to give to the local food pantry.
Troy is one of the easiest cities to access in the Capital Region via four bridges: the Menands Bridge (Route 378), the Collar City Bridge (Route 7), the Watervliet Bridge (Route 2) and the Green Island Bridge (connecting Albany Avenue to Federal Street). Participants planning to travel to the Trot via the Green Island Bridge on event day should note that the Green Island Bridge will close by 7:30 a.m.
Ample free event parking is available on race day at a number of Front and River Street parking lots. A comprehensive map of Troy parking lots can be found at: http://troyny.gov/Departments/Parking.aspx.
Post-race refreshments and entertainment will be offered in the finish line area at Monument Square., compliments of Hannaford, Saratoga Water and Garelick Farms.
Unofficial results will be available within minutes upon finishing at troyturkeytrot.com through ChronoTrack Live. Finishers’ certificates will be available for download after 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. In addition, The Record newspaper will have results on troyrecord.com later that afternoon.
Sponsors include: SportsSignUp, Pioneer Bank, Hannaford Supermarkets, Wm. J. Fagan & Sons, CDPHP, Garelick Farms, DeCrescente Distributing Company, Bryce Real Estate, and Caprara’s Auto
Body Shop. Media partners include: WNYT-13, The Record, Lang Media, B95.5 fm, FLY 92.3 and JAMZ 96.3.
For more information or to register, visit www.TroyTurkeyTrot.com. Additional information is also available by calling (518) 273-5552.
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