RT Turkey Run

On Saturday November 29th I ran in the 31st Annual RT Turkey Run 5 Miler. The event is put on by the Genesee Valley Harriers Running Club. It was a small low key event, but for only $15 I got a nice t-shirt and knit cotton running gloves. I was not expecting the t-shirt so it was a pleasant surprise.

Saturday morning I got up early to make the hour drive to Rochester with my dad. Unfortunately we discovered there was no hot water so we spent some time investigating the problem. It was looking like I might not make it to the race. Turns out pilot light would not stay lit. We could not do anything about that until later anyway so off we went with the plumber’s phone number in hand. While in Rochester my dad called the plumber and by the time we returned home there was hot water for a much needed shower.

The race started on the main drive in Camp Eastman and ran slightly downhill to the Lakeside Trail running along the Lake Ontario Shore. The Lakeside Trail is a paved multi-use trail. Running along the shore was nice with a couple rolling hills. There is a nice sandy beach there that I imagine on warm summer days is crowded sun bathers and sand castle builders. The lake was mostly calm but you could still hear the sound of waves splashing onto the beach. After about a mile the trail turned away from the shore and crossed a swamp on the boardwalk shown in the picture. The boardwalk was iced over so I had to slow a little going over it. The next half mile or so was all up hill. At the top of the hill we did a loop through neighborhood streets and then returned to the trail and headed back toward Camp Eastman. My PR pace for 5 miles was 6:51 per mile and I went into this race hoping to beat that. My first mile was a 6:25, but that was fueled mostly by the downhill start out of Camp Eastman. The big uphill in mile 2 really slowed me down at 7:08 and mile 3 was only a 7:01. I didn’t give up hope of a new PR, but I knew I needed to take full advantage of the return down that hill to do it. Of course right at the bottom of the hill was the icy boardwalk. I ran mile 4 in 6:39 so a PR was within reach, but I would have to push it for the last mile in the rolling hills along the lake shore. Listening to the waves splashing onto the beach was inspiring and somehow the power of

the waves fueled me to the finish line with a last mile time of 6:38 and a new 5 mile PR of 33:51. I finished 15th overall and 5th in my age group, so I have some work to do. Fellow Hoosier, John Poray, finished 2nd overall with a time of 26:00.

This was a nice event and a nice course if you are ever in Rochester on the Saturday after Thanksgiving I would recommend this event.