Adirondack Sports November 2023

◀ 2022 ELLIS CARDIAC CLASSIC.
NOVEMBER 2023 13
▼ 2022 GLENS FALLS GOBBLE WOBBLE.
RUNNING & WALKING continued from 11
proverbial drumstick. Extended friends, families and work
groups can also join the table of team options. Age-based
pricing has been instituted to keep costs down for families.
Troy Turkey Trot is truly a Fly Away Home event, with
many former residents returning yearly to visit old school
chums and either run with them or line the streets (and
bars) spectating. Thanksgiving reunions start early in Troy
and continue through elaborate gatherings, flag football
and the occasional nap. As with all large gatherings,
Troy offers big-time opportunities to strut your stuff or
perhaps even indulge in a celebratory turkey trot dance,
whose flapping arm movements were wildly popular
in the early 1900s. Within all race categories, age group
awards are plentiful. When you register, please remember
to donate to the event’s charities, Regional Food Bank of
Northeastern New York and Joseph’s House and Shelter.
Register: troyturkeytrot.com.
Runner up to the longevity award is the 42nd annual
Cardiac Classic circling Schenectady’s Central Park
and surrounding neighborhoods. Like Troy, this race
recognizes that while Thanksgiving is the most popular
day to hold a race in the entire US, it is by no means the
main event, being eclipsed by the turkey’s main function.
Awards are handled smoothly and efficiently in the park’s
pavilion to the accompaniment of hot coffee and a warm
fire. Festivities get underway at 8am with a Two-Mile
Wellness Walk and end at 10am with a free kids’ One-Mile
Duck Pond Fun Run. Sandwiched in between, but by no
means a leftover repast, is the main 5K Road Race, consisting
of a mostly flat tour in and outside the perimeter
of the park. The race moves along fairly quickly as it is for
runners only, with the walkers invited to join the Wellness
Walk. There are plenty of spectating opportunities as well
as a playground for more active poults.
And while a majority of turkeys polled feel Turkey Day
is more of an Anti-Turkey Day, they do feel lucky to be
invited to the feast at the Ellis Cardiac Classic. Join the
tradition, enjoy the reunions and wattle on! Register:
raceentry.com.
Stepping up to the plate at 8:30am in Saratoga Springs
is the 22nd annual Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot, a
family event that grew from an around the neighborhood
location to the Saratoga Hilton. Proceeds benefit
the Christopher Dailey Foundation, which donates to
area youth initiatives. There are no sides, with attention
devoted to the main course 5K run/walk up Broadway,
around Skidmore College and back on Broadway for a glorious
downhill finish where everyone can let loose like an
Olympic victor.
A fun turkey fact is that their featherless heads are
like mood rings. A bluish-white shade indicates a calm
demeanor, but beware a bright read head striving to reach
the finish before you. He or she undoubtedly will. These
colors are more difficult to discern now that we have all
taken to dressing up, with bright glittery skirts and colorful
head dresses. Beware. According to G.T. Klein, who wrote
Starting Right with Turkeys, the true American wild turkey
was “wild and wary to the point of genius.” Plan ahead.
This trot has fast become a tradition, full hometown
reunions. There is a family rate for four people, with two
children under the age of 14, up until November 21.
Online registration ends at 8pm Nov. 22, with no day-of
registration. Register: zippyreg.com.
Turkeys are used to spending cold winter nights braving
the elements with many of them flocking to the third
annual Glens Falls Gobble Wobble 5K run/walk, which
supports the Open Door Mission. It begins and ends at the
mission, circling beautiful downtown Glens Falls. There
is a sliding scale for youth runners and any who do not
receive T-shirts on race day are invited back for a second
printing, a perk that is rarely offered.
The community spirit is never more in evidence than
at this race, where we participants don’t necessarily run/
walk for a fast time, but to make life a bit more tolerable
for those struggling with hunger and homelessness in the
region. And if you are a fan of displaying your plumage,
the shirt features a plump, determined turkey in all its colorful
feathers, will be one to wear to the table.
▲ CHRISTOPHER DAILEY TURKEY TROT.
If you need more motivation, recognize that with so
many participants, there’s no fear of finishing last. And
even if you do, you still get bragging rights. Bothered by
certain family members? A trot is a great excuse to escape
the family dynamic and enjoy an extra helping of stuffing
when you return. Plus, you get to fall asleep guilt-free and
avoid all those cleanup chores! Wattle on!
Laura Clark (snowshoegal133@gmail.com) of Saratoga
Springs is an avid trail runner, ultramarathoner,
snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children’s
librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.