Turkey Trot slated for Thursday
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:11 AM PST
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| Rosa Erlebach, 46 (right), and Gracia Erlebach, 16, model the T-shirts that will be handed out to Bob McAlpine Memorial Turkey Trot/ Run/ Walk/ Stroll participants Thanksgiving Day. The event begins at 9 a.m., with interested individuals able to register online at spondoro.com or beginning at 7 a.m. the day of the race. |
Ontario — While some residents Thursday are just opening their eyes and preparing for a long day of cooking and parade watching, about 500 area residents will be making their way across Ontario to benefit the Treasure Valley Community College cross country team.
The Bob McAlpine Memorial Turkey Trot/ Run/ Walk/ Stroll, will begin at 9 a.m. at the Ontario Train Depot, situated at 300 Depot Lane in Ontario. Kent Fife, one of the owners of Fit for Life, said he will register applicants at the event from 7 a.m. until the race starts.
Individuals are able to register online at
spondoro.com for $15, with that price increasing to $20 on race day. A family of four can also preregister for $50, with that price jumping to $60 on race day. As of Tuesday afternoon, 144 individuals and 25 teams were registered on the site.
“It’s for a good cause,” Fife said.
Proceeds from the event go to the TVCC cross country benefit fund, which Fife said helps to pay for travel expenses and shoes for the athletes. The event is named after Robert S. McAlpine, who was a head track and cross-country coach at the school from 1971 until his death in 1987.
“We’re just excited to be involved,” he said. “It’s a great way to start your Thanksgiving.”
Fife said Fit for Life will set up a sound system as well as provide a pre-race stretch and warm-up. He also said the business will give away door prizes, including free passes to the fitness establishment.
“This is the second year we’ve been involved,” he said.
Two other people who plan to greet participants at the registration desk this year are Rosa and Gracia Erlebach. Rosa Erlebach said the 3.1-mile Turkey Trot/ Run/ Walk/ Stroll is a good way for extended families to get together on Thanksgiving morning. She also said co-workers often get into the action. Some city employees are listed on the Web site with their families as well as representatives from area businesses such as Salon Salon.
Rosa Erlebach said the idea began with 15 or so friends getting together on Thanksgiving morning.
“They just decided to go for a stroll or a run,” she said.
After that, others began to get involved, with that number increasing to 50 in subsequent years before becoming the event it is now. Fife said he believed the event was “the biggest in the Treasure Valley.”
Her daughter, Gracia Erlebach, said she could not run last year after she fractured her leg but said she would participate this year.
“We run afterwards,” Rosa Erlebach said. Fife said the event gives people a chance to work out before pigging out later in the day.
“The motto is ‘Run, walk, or stroll, so you can eat another roll,” he said.
