Grand Junction makes a Turkey Trot Tradition

From year to year, the holiday season is ripe with traditions that may vary from one family to the next. Your knitted sweater may fit a little more snug than it once did, and your wine-savvy aunt has switched from boxed to bottled, but the adoption of new traditions doesn’t stop there for residents of Colorado’s Western Slope.

This year marks the seventh annual hosting of the Turkey Trot 5k in Grand Junction, Colo. Before donning the elastic waistbands for festive meals, over 1,200 runners and walkers took to the streets of downtown Grand Junction on the morning of Thanksgiving.

“It’s kind of a funny thing, because a lot of people now have replaced big events, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with running at our race,” said Mandy Harter, the head event coordinator for the Turkey Trot. “This race started with good intention amongst a small group of people, and I’m happy to see it grow from year to year.”

Even in it’s infancy, this festive 5k began with purpose. The event benefits the Grand Junction Firefighters Foundation.

“This is a great way for our guys at the station to get out into the city in a very different way,” said Stacey Foster. As a wife of one of the firefighters in station 2808, Foster says that her husband gains inspiration for his work from being able to interact with the people he protects.

On some of the busiest streets of Grand Junction on any normal day, the Turkey Trot transforms the downtown area into a spirited five kilometers of cardio.

“Next week I’ll run the Winter Sun Run in Moab, Utah so this is my daily workout and a tempo run,” said Sam Van Pelt. “Every year I run this race with my brothers with a competitive attitude, and I always forget how many smiling faces and happy families come out despite the cold.”

Some come in costume, some with personal records in mind, but everyone comes and contributes to the solidification of a new tradition. 

Find the Grand Junction Turkey Trot on Facebook

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Desert's Edge Triathlon

Nearly on the border of the dry and barren border between Colorado and Utah, is a town called Loma, Colo. A town enveloped in a wingspan of mountains, the Colorado National Monument looms in the south, The Mesa stands tall to the east, and The Bookcliffs complete the haphazard circle on the northern stretch of the area.

An outdoor haven, indubitably, this area of Colorado is the home of many natural arenas that have become the setting for races of all kind. On Oct. 6^th, 2013, Highline State Park in Loma served as the hub for the Desert’s Edge Triathlon.

As I scraped ice from my windshield at 7:15 a.m., I began making plans for an extended warm-up run for the race that began at 9:00 a.m. Bike racks, wet suits, and plenty of water stations gave heed to the race taking place.

Being part of a relay team, and the last leg of my relay at that, I watched as anxious athletes began their quirky, muscle loosening routines. Their breath left their bodies like steam leaves your mug of coffee—slowly and lingering.

Despite the chilling temperatures, athletes took to the course with personal records in mind. The top male finisher in the Olympic triathlon, John O’Neill from Edwards, Colo., finished in 1:59:54 minutes. The top female finisher, Heather Gollnick from Steamboat Springs, Colo., finished in 2:24:22 minutes.

Due to the ice bath that was Highline Lake, the swimmer on the relay I was a part of forfeit during his race. We finished the triathlon with an added penalty, but without the competitive adrenaline pulsating through our veins.

A ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) alongside our team name serves as my fuel for continual and intensive training.

Happy Trails. 

Here's a look at the tri course compiled by the race officials:

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Three fresh Pre-race Dinners

The number one rule the night before a race is to consume carbs, carbs, carbs. But there is no rule that says you must always get these carbs from pasta. Check out these recipes and take a break from plates upon plates of noodles in your next pre-race dinner.

1. Cheese-free Pizza: a great meal to consume a fair amount of carbohydrates in the dough, and choose some natural toppings such as olives, spinach, tomato sauce for vitamins, or meats for some added protein
2. Waffles, fruit & yogurt, and eggs: Try a classic breakfast for your last supper before race day. This meal will satisfy all the needed food groups and add in some potassium from the fruit, and calcium from the yogurt.
3. Chicken and rice: Grilled, slow-cooked, or marinated, chicken serves as a good base of protein to compliment your preferred grain of rice which is low in fat, sodium and cholesterol.

Check out more tip for innovative pre-race dinners at Triathlete.competitor.com

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