Photos by OHventures
More specifcally, our "wobbling" takes place in the form of the Warren Kiwanis Turkey Trot, a 2 or 5 mile walk/run that takes part on the campus of Kent State Trumbull Branch. The gobble, of course, is the huge Thanksgiving meal that takes place afterwards at my grandparents' house in Vienna (Ohio, not Austria).
While the gobbling has been going on since long before my birth, the wobbling is a newer addition to our list of family traditions, dating back to 2012! This being just the second year made it truly a "tradition" and we hope to keep it going! Last year, it was my brother, my sister-in-law, myself, my nieces and my nephew in the race. This year, we added my mom, dad, and aunt! Hopefully we can add more family members, and even canine relatives in future years!
Unlike last year, when I wore a t-shirt and light athletic pants to run, this year there was snow all over the ground, and the temperature was therefore quite low! We all wore appropriate attire, but even that doesn't make for the most perfect of conditions. We even joked with my dad that his participation this year would probably result in snow, given that last year was so beautiful. We were right!
I decided to be "that guy" and wear an obnoxious foam turkey hat while I ran, which I got in my swag bag from the Kent State Stark Turkey Trot the previous weekend (it was very coincidental that I ran on 2 Kent State Branch campuses within one week!). But, I was most certainly not the only one with poultry fashions in mind! There were people with elaborate turkey hats, in both their live form and dead form, and even a guy wearing a full-on turkey suit, which must have been pretty warm! I had to get my picture with him, because it was that freaking awesome!
The announcer said that there were a record amount of people who registered for the race, but they clearly did not all show up due to the weather. Last year, there were 2700 runners, which was said to be the largest turnout in Trumbull County race history. The crowd was nearly not as large as last year's! We crowded together and when the clock struck 9:00 AM, our race began!
It was a simple course, and was exactly the same as the year before. We ran up a long road (slightly uphill), around a classroom building, and then back down the road to the finish line. It was difficult to maneuver around all of the young children "running" in the race (a pet peeve of mine), and also difficult to run on the slushy roadway. But, I managed. I was very pleased with my final time of 16:20, given the circumstances. I beat the rest of my family members, but was not near the front of the pack. It was a respectable time for me.
We did not stay around like we did last year. It was so cold that we just got in the car and left, even while people were still finishing! I am telling you, I was not made for winter weather! We all donned our neon orange race shirts over to my grandparents' house for the "gobble" portion of the day and we were sure to take the ever-important family photo in our matching attire.
My niece had us write down things we were thankful for, and then she read them outloud. One of my top things to be thankful for? Turkey trots, of course!
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