Saturday morning saw roughly a thousand participants off to the races at the 48th annual Longmont Turkey Trot.
The race kicked off at Altona Middle School and gave participants the option of running, jogging or walking either two miles or a 10k. The city of Longmont also offered a wheelchair division in which several athletes participated.
The scenic course featured views of Longs Peak and took runners behind Silver Creek High School. The mostly flat route made the event a good choice for runners of all abilities.
At the time of the event, the head of registration reported that nearly 1200 individuals had signed up for the race.
“I am glad to see the numbers rise since COVID,” the official reported. “It’s great to have a big race in Longmont.”
The Turkey Trot not only attracts a lot of runners, it also benefits the Longmont Youth Scholarship Program, providing up to three renewable $5000 scholarships each year to area students.
Like thousands of other turkey trot races held in cities all over the country, Longmont’s event is aimed at getting people outside and sharing in a sense of community. Participants of all ages were dressed in costumes and fall colors. Non-runners lined much of the course to cheer competitors to the finish.
The finish line hosted an expo with area businesses selling food and snacks and handing out giveaways. Eight-year-old Colton Waller was pleased to see that there were popsicles at the finish.
“I earned this,” he proudly stated.
In all, 585 runners finished the 2-mile event, 324 finished the 10k, and 2 participants completed the 10k wheelchair race.
