While COVID-19 has forced many of us to modify our plans for the Thanksgiving holiday, it still hasn’t caught up to the Kodiak Turkey Trot.
The annual Thanksgiving day 5K event hosted by the Kodiak High School Cross Country team will still be taking place this year, with a few changes for Covid-19. The registration will be from 9:15 to 10:00 this Thursday morning, at the Kodiak Teen Center. The run will be held entirely outdoors, and runners will start as soon as their registration is complete.
“And this year will look a little different. Typical years we have… last year, I should say, we had 170. Community members show up to run or walk the course and it was a rainy Kodiak day, and that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits,” Ashley Mortenson, head coach for boys’ cross country at Kodiak High School said. ”
“This year, we will be starting the race in waves of 10 runners apiece, hopefully settling people through the start line in a fairly efficient process from when they arrive, so that we don’t have clustering of individuals standing around waiting to start.”
Mortenson says that the entry fee for the Turkey Trot has been removed this year.
“We are not charging a set entry fee this year. But we are open to donations in any amount to our program, if people are able to give. We know that this year has been financially trying for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. And we want to offer a positive community event that is open to anyone regardless of what their circumstances are.”
Runners will begin in waves, and may have to time themselves as official timing will be limited.