This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/12/2019 04:00 PMWith the outside air growing colder every day, most Madison residents will be planning cozy, indoor activities for the upcoming winter months, but on Thanksgiving morning, the Madison Jaycees are hoping people will bundle up and brave the November chills for its 41st annual Turkey Trot, offering a chance for experienced road-runners to take on a beautiful beachside course as well as offering a relaxed family walk for the town’s more laid-back athletes.
“The run itself is gorgeous,” said Jaycees volunteer Mike Morgenroth. “Wonderful beach community.”
The Jaycees is a national organization that promotes various charitable activities and civic engagement across the United States, according to its website. The Madison branch has gifted more than $500,000 to shoreline causes and families over the last ten years, helping with everything from struggling families’ medical bills to scholarships to food pantry donations.
The event will offer small prizes for top three finishers in various age groups—usually a commemorative jacket or fleece, according to Morgenroth
This year’s event is sponsored by shoreline seafood restaurant chain Lenny and Joe’s. All money raised will go to support the Jaycees’ initiatives along the shoreline.
The long-running annual race typically draws a good-sized crowd, according to Morgenroth, with its jovial atmosphere that includes the small-town New England festivities of hot clam chowder and apple cider while simultaneously providing more serious runners with a chance to view Madison’s gorgeous coastline and fall foliage.
Morgenroth is an experienced runner himself who got involved with the Jaycees when he moved to Madison about three years ago. He said after living in New York City for many years, the Turkey Trot introduced him to many of Madison’s charms as a small, close-knit New England community.
“I was just amazed at how many people there were,” he said, “and how many young people and families were just gathering in different areas of the green. This is a tradition that they’ve put on for years and years within those family circles, family friends—kids who certainly look like they’d been out [partying] the night before, getting together to get the run done.
“[It’s] the small town sort of camaraderie, a well-run event with a great after-party feel,” he added. “Everybody’s gathering, having clam chowder—it [isn’t] a typical New York running event.”
The actual course can be somewhat challenging however, Morgenroth said, as it heads off from the Green down to Middle Beach Road, running parallel to the water for a significant portion of the race. Depending on the weather, those shoreline winds can cause trouble for even more experienced runners, he said.
“It’s a very nice scenic course,” Morgenroth said. “Last year was a tough year, windy and cold, and being right on the water.”
But there are plenty of serious runners willing both to brave to conditions and hammer out good times, according to Morgenroth. Initially, he said he thought his experience in the big city might make it relatively easy to get a top-three finish.
“I’ve been impressed by the level of runners...I figured okay, nice small race. My first year I thought maybe I had a shot. Nope.”
Morgneroth said the Turkey Trot compares favorably even to other seasonal road races he has run in Connecticut. The size is perfect, he said, with good participation but not so crowded that you aren’t able to run your own pace.
Being able to support neighbors in need, he said, is just another way to join in the season of thanksgiving.
For more information or to register for the Turkey Trot, visit madisonjc.com/events/turkey.