Turkey Trot Race
Around 7,000 runners of all ages started off their Thanksgiving Day with the Turkey Trot 5K at Naperville Central High School.
“I decided to come out here today with my son and my daughter because I thought it would be a great way to support the community and to have some fun together,” said runner Mike Weisenberger. “I came out here to support my dad,” said runner Jeffery Weisenberger.
“Just the fact that we’ve done it for so long. We both went to Naperville Central so it feels very community-like for us,” said Eileen Bourland. “It’s a huge turnout, I love it.,” said runner Michael Bourland.
“It was our first time last year and we thought we were done because it was so cold. But after we did it we were like, oh that was kind of fun and we enjoyed ourselves. So we’ll come out and run again, burn off a few calories before we eat a whole bunch of turkey,” said runner Stacie Miller.
Former Mayor George Pradel started the race every year. Since he passed in 2018, his son, Gary, decided to stop by this year.
“My brother encouraged me and a lot of my co-workers said this would be a good one to start off on. So this is my first 5K, my first run ever,” said Gary Pradel.
This is the 22nd year the Naperville Noon Lions Club has hosted the event, which is their biggest fundraiser.
Turkey Trotter Who’s Been in Every Race
The Turkey Trot may have become a tradition for some over the years, but no more than Kevin Gensler who has participated in every single one. He’s kept the streak up for the last 21 years, and this Thanksgiving wasn’t any different. You can check out the full story on this week’s Sports Story Sunday.
