Race Recap
20th Granville Island Turkey Trot draws records in spirit of Thanksgiving
Vancouver, BC – October 9, 2017 –
The Granville Island Turkey Trot celebrated its 20th annual event on Thanksgiving Monday with a record number of participants and donations. Nearly 2,000 runners continued a great Thanksgiving tradition, with a Kids Run, plus more than 1,800 runners in the sold-out 10KM event on Thanksgiving Monday.
Organized by the non-profit RUNVAN®, the races inspire a theme of ‘Run & Give’.
“Thanksgiving is about family and giving back, and it was heart-warming to see the community band together in the spirit of Thanksgiving,” says Eric Chéné, Race Director. “RUNVAN® is proud to be a part of this annual celebration and to see the community come out to support all the runners and the theme of ‘Run & Give’.”
The event raised $4,500 and is still counting the non-perishable food donations in support of its charity partner, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. For each free $20 Gift Card redeemed by participants at Rackets & Runners on New Balance product, Rackets & Runners is further donating two pounds of food to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Runners received lots of other great race bonuses including a complimentary Stanley Park Beer or Kettle Valley Wine from Mahony & Sons, drinks, food, and sweet medals showcasing the False Creek Water and iconic Granville Island bridge sign. Those who donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank are eligible for additional draw prizes donated by local Granville Island merchants.
Once again, several “turkeys” joined runners on the course, with participants joking that they couldn’t believe they were passed by a turkey.
First to cross the Finish Line was 23-year old Brendan Wong, who clocked in with a time of 33:44, followed by Paul McNamara at 34:14. “I was happy with how it went, the weather was wonderful,” adds Wong. “Everyone was really excited.”
Following the race, the awards ceremony honoured the event’s top finishers. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top finishers in each age category and a cash prize of $250 was awarded to the largest team, Over the Top Fitness.
Receiving some of the largest applause were Delia Visscher, Dieter Kirste and Vern Sorensen, winners in the 80-89 age category.
‘Best Team Costume’, runners or spectators, and ‘Best Volunteer Team’ will be decided in the coming days by RUNVAN® team via social media submissions @runvancanada #runvan.
The Granville Island Turkey Trot is part of the RUNVAN® race series, which also includes the Fall Classic Run at UBC next month, plus the BMO Vancouver Marathon and fast Half Marathon in May.
All RUNVAN® races now annually sell-out. Join the next one and run, cheer or volunteer!
