Thanksgiving Day trot will benefit Love Inc.
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in chief
For many, the only exercise we get on Thanksgiving is moving from the couch to the dinner table and then back again.
Chris Ponteri would like to see people establish a much healthier tradition that is in closer keeping with the true meaning of the holiday.
Ponteri is the driving force behind the Talmer Turkey Trot, a new four-mile run and two-mile run/walk designed to get people moving for the benefit of the Love Inc. food pantry.
The event will be held Thanksgiving morning with staging at Veterans Terrace and a course that travels through several city parks and along the riverfront.
“First and foremost, it’s a fun opportunity for a nice fundraiser,” Ponteri said, who is a member of the Love Inc. board. “The timing is very good because some of the profits will go to the food pantry. And we’re also running a food drive (in conjunction with the race).”
This new boost for Love Inc. comes at a time when the independent social service agency is serving a record number of clients and is in search of new income streams.
For Ponteri, it just makes sense that on a holiday set aside for the celebration of good fortune people have an opportunity to share their bounty.
However, as a runner and a father, Ponteri also sees the event as a chance to build family bonds.
“There’s something about having a race on Thanksgiving Day,” he said. “It’s such a neat family event – a nice tradition.”
Ponteri designed the event to appeal to a wide variety of talents and desires. However, he also wants it to be viewed as a serious race.
That’s one of the reasons why the race offers a cash-reward challenge to elite runners. Thanks to sponsorship from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, up to four runners could earn $250 each. To qualify, men must break 20 minutes and women must finish in less than 22 minutes over the four-mile course. Thrivent will match the cash rewards to the runners with an equal donation to Love Inc.
While few races attract runners with the ability to exceed those standards, Ponteri is hopeful the cash rewards do the trick.
He said there are perhaps a dozen men and women runners total in the Milwaukee area who are fast enough to qualify for the cash.
It remains to be seen if any of those runners show up. The key to the success of the race, however, is the number of regular runners who show up.
The course begins on Congress Street and winds through Riverside and Wehmhoff-Jucker parks, along the city’s Riverwalk and into Bushnell Park before making its way back along McCanna Parkway and East State Street.
“It shows off some of the neater areas of the (city),” Ponteri said, calling the course relatively flat and fast.
The race, which begins at 9 a.m., features 13 age groups and awards for the top finishers. Those who register prior to race day are also guaranteed to receive a T-shirt.
In addition, those who bring non-perishable food items to the race will receive one raffle ticket for each item. The tickets will be placed in a drawing for homemade pies and certificates for turkeys.
“My goal was originally 200 people, but right now I’d say we’d get more,” Ponteri said. “Bring food when you come.”
If you go…
What: Talmer Turkey Trot 4-mile run and 2-mile run/walk.
When: Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24. Registration opens at 7 a.m. and the run begins at 9 a.m.
Where: Veterans Terrace at Echo Park, 589 Milwaukee Ave., Burlington.
Cost: $25 until Nov. 17; $30 on race day; $15 for ages 14 and younger (no T-shirt).
Lowdown: The run benefits Love Inc. Participants can earn raffle tickets by bringing non-perishable food items to the run.
Information: http://www.runthanksgiving.com.
-
-
-
-
-