My slowest Turkey Trot to date, surprisingly enough, was also the most gratifying.
Unlike past races when my goals included crushing rivals and PRs, I just wanted to get to the finish this year. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure I could get there. Heck, I only made it to the starting line with three minutes to spare.
My Thanksgiving morning race plans hit a snag almost as soon as I woke up to get dressed, when I discovered a hole in my running shoes. With no backup pair, I turned to my next best option: Some gently-used shoes I bought in the fall for mowing. They were a little green around the edges, but still had plenty of cushion.
It wasn’t quite freezing outside, but the winds sure made it feel that way as I started the slow jog from my house to the crowd of 2,800 runners gathering at the Carlisle YMCA. My trip there was only about one and a half miles, if that, but with tight legs I was running behind schedule, quite literally.
The voice of the race director boomed in the distance as he delivered pre-race instructions. When I hustled over to merge into the mass of humanity, I knew there was no time to look for familiar faces in the crowd, but rather just a few seconds to get my legs stretched before the starter’s countdown.
When the race kicked off I shuffled to the starting line with my fellow middle-of-the-packers and began sorting my way through the tightly-packed group of runners. Once I settled into a steady run, I tried to appreciate the moment. After all, it was just over a month ago I was tipping the scales at 280 pounds. It took plenty of training and more than a fair share of dietary discipline to shed 26 pounds in time for Thanksgiving. This race was meant to be a celebration of that.
With the one-mile marker just around the corner, I was feeling strong, even with a trace of stiffness still lingering in my legs. After splitting 10:39 on my first mile, I picked up my pace on the second. I was passing runners left and right, but just as my confidence was beginning to rise, I could feel my gas tank going in the opposite direction. Although I was in much better shape than several weeks ago, I was still carrying plenty of excess cargo while moving faster than I had in months. It took some mental gymnastics, but I completed the second mile in 10:34 without stopping to walk.
At this point, I had very little left in my energy reserves, so I slowed down the pace and kept plugging forward. I took it slower still, until I was eventually reduced to a walk. My shins were screaming in pain and I could feel my stomach turning. Looking at my watch, I gave myself 15 seconds to walk and then a minute to run. I kept myself moving forward with this approach and although each minute of running felt more painful than the last, I could soon see the finish line coming into view. There was no more walking from this point, not with this many people watching.
While I didn’t have quite enough life in my legs to make a sprint for it, I kept a steady pace toward the finish line and crossed with an official time of 33:50. I just missed finishing in the Top 1,000, but I was thrilled to complete the race at faster than an 11:00/mile clip.
It was a proud moment for me. I wouldn’t have guessed in mid-October that I’d be completing a 5K by the end of November, not with the shape I was in. It took work and consistency, not to mention frequent impulse control, but I was able visualize a goal and turn it into a reality.
And I don’t think I’m done just yet, either. This is a great opportunity to get a head start on the New Year and begin crafting an even fitter version of myself for 2026. I’ve continued working out since the Turkey Trot and more importantly, I’ve kept my eating under control, even with all of the temptations: I’m looking at you, pumpkin pie! Down another two pounds since Thanksgiving Weekend, I’m well within range of breaking through the 250-pound barrier and getting one layer closer to revealing the runner trapped within.
Once I find that runner, it’s back to crushing rivals and PRs. I can’t wait.
1 STEP BACK, 3 STEPS FORWARD
Kyle Baker took a break from his busy running schedule at Shippensburg University to put on a show in his hometown at the Greencastle Turkey Trot 5K.
The ex-Blue Devil — now a member of the Raiders’ cross country and track squads — ran away from the field of 716 runners in 16:12, defeating a group that included Waynesboro’s Kyle Phillips (3rd in 16:37), Joey Jacobs (5th in 17:16), and Nate Snyder (10th in 18:13), Smithsburg’s Jonah Smith (4th in 16:42), and Saint Thomas’ Isaac Diehl (7th in 17:51). Other top locals from the race included Greencastle’s Jarrett Gelsinger (18:54), Bryce Troup (19:31), and Grant Murray (19:57), Waynesboro’s Bella Ruefle (19:45) and Jayden Rooney (19:55), and Marion’s Brandon Crider (19:46).
In Hagerstown, the HCC Turkey Trot 5K featured some of the fastest Thanksgiving Day efforts. The top spots in the race were swept by Hagerstown’s Iggy Chalker, who conquered the field of 846 runners in 14:31, and Lauren Stine, who finished as top female in 17:11. Other blazing-fast times were recorded by Hagerstown’s Tony Clement (2nd in 15:38), Walker Mason (3rd in 15:43), Rian Johnson (3rd female in 17:34), and Johnathan Fox (17:36), Smithsburg’s Dylan Herbst (17:49) and Gavin Gross (17:50), and Chambersburg’s Jeffrey Stone (18:23).
Emilea Alleman, of Fayetteville, was the top female at the Shippensburg Turkey Trot 5K. She posted a time of 19:36 to highlight a group of locals that inlcuded Chambersburg’s Dominick Onomastico (7th in 18:09), Angelo Onomastico (19:03), Kieran Dunkel (19:20), James Kinton (20:03), and Sarah Boward (2nd female in 20:06), and Marion’s Darrin Knoll (20:06).
Local runners were just as strong on the road, as area competitors firmly planted the Local.News1 flag with Top 10 finishes at Turkey Trots in New York, Ohio, and South Carolina. Will Merritt, of Smithsburg, was the third overall finisher in 21:38 at the 4.4-mile Webster Turkey Trot in New York, while Waynesboro’s Will Campbell took sixth in 17:03 at Dave’s Turkey Chase 5K in Toledo, Ohio, a race that drew more than 3,300 runners. The Surfside Rotary Turkey Trot 5K in South Carolina saw brilliant performances from Hagerstown’s Mackenzie Philp (10th in 18:49) and Caroline Philp (3rd female in 19:13).
Five days before Turkey Day, locals took on a pre-Thanksgiving tradition in Boonsboro, Md.: The JFK 50 Mile. Known as America’s oldest ultramarathon, the race included sub-9 hour finishes from Hagerstown’s Harol Samir Baca Ponce (7:10:04), Zachary Schreiber (7:33:13), Bryan Seifarth (7:40:37), Bryan Durboraw (8:26:35), and Andrew Bowers (8:31:22), and Chambersburg’s Trent Overcash (7:24:10), Laurie Dymond (8:49:49), and Ryan Kaczmark (8:51:09).
A number of others were active in races across the region and beyond, including Waynesboro’s Ray Brosius (22:58 at Calabash Turkey Trot 5K), Jordan Bentley (26:16 at Race for Grace 5K), Annie Walters (38:06 Harrisburg Pie Gobbler 5K), Benjamin Adams (1:57:48 at Fall Classic Half Marathon), and Carys Cox (2:17:24 at Greensboro Half Marathon), Greencastle’s Natalie Logsdon (24:42 at Electric City Gobbler 5K), Blake Strope (28:38 at Lansing Turkey Trot 5K), Karl Hansen (29:41 at Turkey Day 5K Clermont) and Brandon Bowyer (32:33 at Lexinton Gobble Wobble 5K), Chambersburg’s Logan Adams (9:07 at Merry Christmas Mile), Travis Horton (27:22 at York YMCA Turkey Trot 5K), Hank Stouffer (33:23 at Boyertown Turkey Trot 5K), Laurie Dymond (35:54 at Miamisburg Turkey Trot 5 Miler), Nancy Streuber (1:03:08 at Struttin’ Our Stuffin’ Turkey Trot 5 Miler), Alexander Ruquet (1:52:16 at Philadelphia Half Marathon), and Brenda Lozius (2:55:19 at Harrisburg Pie Gobbler Half Marathon), Fairfield’s Ronald Black (1:20:37 at Turkey Burnoff 10 Mile Run) and Melissa Joy Powers (2:44:22 at NCR Half Marathon), Smithsburg’s Sean Allen (19:19 at Sheppard Pratt Turkey Trot 5K) and Isabella Heckman (31:14 at United Way of the Eastern Panhandle Turkey Trot 5K), and Hagerstown’s Jack Nelson (15:18 at Irvington Turkey Trot 2 Miler), Allie Isaacs (21:10 at Fredericksburg YMCA Turkey Trot 5K), Charlee Hajel (24:53 at Sea Colony Turkey Trot 5K), Jack Burns (26:53 at Hornell Area Family YMCA Turkey Trot 5K), Francisco Silva (28:46 at Downtown Columbia Turkey Trot 5K), Hannah Olson (29:10 at Smoky Bear Turkey Chase 5K), Jonathan Boyer (33:39 at Boar’s Head Turkey Trot 5K), and Andreas Galvan (4:49:24 at NCR Marathon).
And finally, a shoutout to Hagerstown’s John Brown, who clocked a time of 2:50:07 at the Philadelphia Marathon.
And now, a look ahead:
Christmas Cash Dash 5K/10K: Saturday, 8:30 a.m., in Chambersburg. Challenge yourself with this event, with a chance to win one of 25 random cash prizes ranging from $100 to $500. Look up the event on timberhilltiming.com.
Girls on the Run 5K: Sunday, 9:30 a.m., in Hagerstown, Md. Flying Boxcar Stadium at Meritus Park will serve as the backdrop for this event, which celebrates the Girls on the Run program. Register for the race on gotrmidmd.org.
Dallastown 10K: Saturday, Dec. 13, 9 a.m., in Dallastown. The York Road Runners Club Winter Series rolls forward with its third event of the season. Check out the event on yorkroadrunners.com.
Also: Girls on the Run 5K (Saturday, in York); Lancaster County Ugly Sweater 5K (Saturday, in Lancaster); Medal Madness 5K/10K/Half Marathon (Saturday, in Biglerville); Manheim Santa Run 5K (Saturday, in Manheim); Medal Madness 5K/10K (Saturday, in New Cumberland); Redman 9 Miler (Saturday, in York); The Frosty 5K (Saturday, in Middletown); Dirty Bird 15K/30K (Saturday, in Elverson); Jingle Bell Jog 2.5 Miler (Sunday, in Duncannon); Nittany Valley Half Marathon (Sunday, in State College); The Loop Race 8.4 Miles (Sunday, in Philadelphia); Frozen Hare Triathlon (Saturday, Dec. 13, Broomall); Medal Madness 5K/10K (Saturday, Dec. 13, in York); Naked Nick 25K/50K (Sunday, Dec. 14, in Leesport); Shiver by the River 5K/10K (Sunday, Dec. 14, in Reading).
