Banner Health sponsors second annual turkey trot at Lewis Park

Mark DeLap
Posted 11/30/22

Second Annual Turkey Trot

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Banner Health sponsors second annual turkey trot at Lewis Park

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WHEATLAND – On a cool November Saturday morning with temperatures in the 20’s with the wind chill the second annual Turkey Trot 5K went ahead as planned at Lewis Park in Wheatland.

Races that are run near Thanksgiving or Christmas above the frost line are usually very cold and the weather can be adverse, but even though it was cool, the runners didn’t seem to mind and some even dressed up in turkey attire for the event.

It was the second of its kind here in Wheatland and sponsored by Banner Health.

“This our second one and with 65 people that have come out to run, this is huge,” said Banner Health employee Jacob Lee. “The big reason for doing this is to help the community get out and be more active. I am a physical therapist at the hospital and I am passionate about being active and healthy and thought that doing something like this can help us get out, to encourage health and activity and to support one another in our community.”

Active and healthy and great weather brought out the large crowd. Some ran, some walked, some pushed strollers and some had their dogs on leashes. The racers began gathering at 9:30 to Lewis Park in Wheatland and by 10 a.m. the park was packed with both runners and fans to cheer on the large group of participants. 

In 2021, there were some problems that didn’t occur this year.

“For a first time, the biggest challenges were logistics,” Lee said last year at this time. “Trying to find out who we wanted to be a part of what and really, just getting the excitement out to the community. This is not a chipped race. There are a number of people who might just walk around in the park. The whole purpose of this was just to get people out and be active. We have people who walked, some who went halfway and others who ran the whole distance. This is great and it was a huge success.”

The top three finishers for the race were Gavin May who took first, Liberty Hoover who took second and Justin Cecil took third place.

Banner had hot chocolate, water and bananas out at the start and at the halfway point of the race they also had water and bananas. At the conclusion, the drawing for the turkeys, pies and certificates were held.

“It was a great turnout and great weather.,” Lee said. “No wind and great running weather. This is awesome.”