Mile runners takeoff from the starting line during the ninth annual Turkey Trot on Thursday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Mile runners takeoff from the starting line during the ninth annual Turkey Trot on Thursday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

And they’re off: Turkey Trot draws hundreds

Fun in the briefly shining sun.

Juneau residents — and their visitors — had their choices to make on Thanksgiving. Dark meat or light meat? Stuffing or mashed potatoes? One mile or a 5K?

Josh, Bridger and Carolyn Smith pose for a photo taken by Misty Dohrn during the ninth annual Turkey Trot held Thursday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Josh, Bridger and Carolyn Smith pose for a photo taken by Misty Dohrn during the ninth annual Turkey Trot held Thursday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

An unexpectedly sunny ninth annual Turkey Trot saw hundreds partake in some Thanksgiving Day cardio. Tyra MacKinnon, race organizer, said about 200 people preregistered for the event held annually along the Airport Dike Trail and with favorable weather conditions, she expected about that many people to opt for same-day registration.

“I think it’s going to be equal or a little bigger,” MacKinnon said when asked how that level of participation compares to a typical year.

Turkey Trot participants wave at an Alaska Airlines plane landing at Juneau International Airport on Thanksgiving Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Turkey Trot participants wave at an Alaska Airlines plane landing at Juneau International Airport on Thanksgiving Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Participants were able to choose between a 1-mile walk that began at 9:30 a.m., and a 5K that started a half-hour later. However, plenty of youths chose to run the mile and more than a few folks walked a mile starting at the late 5K time. Proceeds from this year’s event benefited the Glacier Swim Club and Thunder Mountain High School cross-country team.

Participants included a blend of first-timers, like 9-year-old Patrick Sperry, and those with several Turkey Trots under their belts, like Wren Dihle, 7; and Roan Dihle, 5; and Ero Dihle, 3; who navigated the course alongside Patrick.

Ero Dihle, 3; Wren Dihle, 7; Roan Dihle, 5; and Patrick Sperry, 9; smile for a photo ahead of the Turkey Trot’s 1-mile course. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Ero Dihle, 3; Wren Dihle, 7; Roan Dihle, 5; and Patrick Sperry, 9; smile for a photo ahead of the Turkey Trot’s 1-mile course. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

“I just think it’s a really fun thing to do on the holiday,” said adult Meghan Dihle. “It gets the wiggles out.”

Runners wore a variety of festive ensembles for the event, including inflatable turkey costumes and quirky handmade attire.

Finn Bogert, 6, and Sigrid Bogert, 9, each donned handmade turkey T-shirts decorated with classic hand turkeys topped off with a smattering of craft feathers.

Meanwhile, Jace Kihlmire wore more elaborate cardboard and construction paper headgear depicting a turkey in a pilgrim’s hat.

Jace Kihlmire wore some of the most elaborate headgear of any runner during the ninth annual Turkey Trot on Thursday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Jace Kihlmire wore some of the most elaborate headgear of any runner during the ninth annual Turkey Trot on Thursday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Despite the silly atmosphere, some runners showed some serious skill.

Porter Goudie, 12, finished the 1-mile course the fastest coming in just a bit ahead of the 8-minute mark, and Finn Morley finished the 5K in 16 minutes and 42 seconds.

Finn Morley, a JDHS alum, was the first 5K runner to cross the Turkey Trot’s finish line. When asked, Morley, who finished with a time of 16 minutes and 42 seconds, said his favorite Thanksgiving side is cranberry sauce. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Finn Morley, a JDHS alum, was the first 5K runner to cross the Turkey Trot’s finish line. When asked, Morley, who finished with a time of 16 minutes and 42 seconds, said his favorite Thanksgiving side is cranberry sauce. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

When asked, each first-place finisher shared their favorite Thanksgiving dinner sides. Goudie said mashed potatoes are his favorite. Morley said his favorite is canned cranberry sauce.

Contact Ben Hohenstatt at (907)308-4895 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast for the week of March 25

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

The aging Tustumena ferry, long designated for replacement, arrives in Homer after spending the day in Seldovia in this 2010 photo. (Homer News file photo)
Feds OK most of state’s revised transportation plan, but ferry and other projects again rejected

Governor’s use of ferry revenue instead of state funds to match federal grants a sticking point.

The Shopper’s Lot is among two of downtown Juneau’s three per-hour parking lots where the cash payments boxes are missing due to vandalism this winter. But as of Wednesday people can use the free ParkSmarter app to make payments by phone. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Pay-by-phone parking for downtown Juneau debuts with few reported complaints

App for hourly lots part of series of technology upgrades coming to city’s parking facilities.

A towering Lutz spruce, center, in the Chugach National Forest is about to be hoisted by a crane Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, for transport to the West Lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to be the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service)
Tongass National Forest selected to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Eight to 10 candidate trees will be evaluated, with winner taking “whistlestop tour” to D.C.

Annauk Olin, holding her daugher Tulġuna T’aas Olin, and Rochelle Adams pose on March 20, 2024, after giving a presentation on language at the Alaska Just Transition Summit in Juneau. The two, who work together at the Alaska Public Interest Research Group’s Language Access program, hope to compile an Indigenous environmental glossary. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Project seeks to gather Alaska environmental knowledge embedded in Indigenous languages

In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, the word… Continue reading

The room where the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee holds its meeting sits empty on Tuesday. A presentation about an increase in the number of inmate deaths in state custody was abruptly canceled here. (Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
Republican lawmakers shut down legislative hearing about deaths in Alaska prisons

Former commissioner: “All this will do, is it will continue to inflame passions of advocacy groups.”

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Monday, March 25, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Employees at the Kensington Mine removing tailings from Johnson Creek on Feb. 17 following a Jan. 31 spill of about 105,000 gallons of slurry from the mine, although a report by the mine’s owners states about half slurry reached the creek 430 meters away. (Photo from report by Coeur Alaska)
Emergency fisheries assessments sought after 105,000-gallon tailings spill at Kensington Mine

Company says Jan. 31 spill poses no risk to Berners Bay habitat, but NOAA seeks federal evaluation.

Dozens of people throw colors in the air and at each other during a Holi festival gathering Monday night outside Spice Juneau Indian Cuisine. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Holi festival in Juneau revives colorful childhood memories for some, creates them for others

Dozens toss caution and colored cornstarch to the wind in traditional Hindu celebration of spring

Most Read