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Taking a trot on Turkey Day In Glenwood

Joelle Milholm
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Post Independent/Kara K. Pearson
ALL |

On Thursday, Zeke and Alex Tiernan turned the 21st annual Turkey Day 5K into a family affair. The Valley’s speedy runners blazed through a pack of more than 400 hundred runs and a chilly Thanksgiving morning, accented by a unforgiving wind, and finished first and second in the race at Glenwood Springs Golf Club.

Zeke took top honors, crossing the finish in 16 minutes and 21 seconds,and his younger brother came through 29 seconds later. For Zeke, who won his fair share of races in 2007 including the Sopris Runoff, it was his second time running in the Turkey Day 5K. He’s walked a few, but lately the race has become a little more competitive.

“We have kinda now turned it into a annual family event. The winner gets to take home the Tiernan cup,” Zeke said with a laugh. “It is a fun run, we definitely want to beat each other bad, but there is definitely not any ill will.”



The two started out even and ran much of the cross-country style course together. That was before the big brother started to slip away.

“It was the last sustained uphill where I sensed him fading a little bit and I really pushed it to try and get ahead and then I just held on to the lead from there,” Zeke said of his bother Alex, who has run the race many times.



While the remaining racers trickled into the finish, Zeke and Alex caught up with some of the Valley’s top runners.

“It is a fun event. A lot of people come out,” Zeke said. “It is a good time of year.”

Bernie Boettcher, Silt’s famed runner, took third in the race, coming in with a time of 16:53 and Charlie Wertheim finished in fourth with a 17:42 mark.

Former Basalt High School runner Megan Lund won the women’s division, clocking a 18:31 on the course and finishing seventh overall. Lund was followed by her running family, who placed three more runners in the top 40. Ron, Megan’s father and cross-country coach at BHS, finished ninth, while Whitney and Amy took 34th and 39th, respectively.

Sarah Shepard, a Glenwood High graduate, finished as the women’s runner-up with a 19:12, good enough for 12th overall.

After welcoming in Paul Driskill, Glenwood’s running legend who came back to walk in the race two months after being severely injured in a hit-and-run car accident, with cheers and amazement, the Turkey Day 5K runners gathered for prizes and to take part in the traditional feast the race offers.

Then many planned on going home to feast some more.

“We’re going to go eat, watch some football and just hang out and enjoy the holiday,” Zeke said.


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