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Have a guilt-free feast after Turkey Day 5K

Sean Kelly

How much would you pay for a guilt-free Thanksgiving feast?

Not one of those frozen diet entrees, but the full spread – a turkey with all the trimmings, candied yams, a couple pieces of pie and, of course, second helpings.

How does five bucks sound.



The 16th annual Turkey Day 5K race/walk is back for another year on Thursday.

“It’s probably the cheapest running race in the world,” race organizer Jim Richmond said. “We’ve always kept it that way. …It’s just a social gathering at the end of the year.



“People can come out and then they fell like they can go home and chow down and not have to worry about it.”

The 5-kilometer run, which winds through the fairways of the Glenwood Springs Golf Club course, begins at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Glenwood Springs Golf Club in West Glenwood. Preregistration begins at the clubhouse at 9 a.m. and proceeds from the $5 fee benefit the Carbondale Community School.

While the Turkey Day 5K has certainly grown over the last 16 years, it has managed to maintain its identity.

The event began with Richmond and running friend Mike Vidakovich inviting 20 friends to the run. Last year almost 200 runners showed up for the 5-kilometer run and Richmond wouldn’t be surprised to see 250-300 participants this year.

“It started out as a small idea and took off from there,” Richmond said.

Last year Glenwood Springs High School standouts Chas and Marco Salmen finished first and second, respectively, with Tri-Glenwood champion Charlie Wertheim coming in third. Chas Salmen, who is now on the Duke University cross country team, finished with a time of 17 minutes, 8 second. Basalt’s Megan Lund won the women’s event. Former Glenwood Springs all-staters, Gus Lundin and Matt Queen, who went on to run for the University of Colorado, also competed last year.

While some of the region’s top runners compete in Turkey Day 5K, there is still plenty of room for the recreational runners or walkers, according to Richmond.

“What’s kind of neat is now we’ve got some of the best runners on the Western Slope who come and run it … and that turns it into a good race,” Richmond said. “Then, on the other end, we’ve got people just walking it, so it’s just a little bit of everything.”

Tradition demands that the run take place regardless of weather, and costumes are always welcome.

Following the run there is a postrace gathering in the maintenance building. Thanks to sponsorships from WestStar Bank of Glenwood Springs and City Market of Glenwood Springs, the postrace festivities will include an early taste of Thanksgiving. For information on the race call Richmond at 379-2888 or Karen Greenwood at 945-2026.


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