Andy Fuller of Geneva came to the fourth annual Tom-A-Hawk Turkey Trot 5K race in downtown Aurora on Saturday morning because “I was looking for a reason to stay in shape.”
“I’ve never come to this race before and, in terms of staying in shape, I need an excuse,” Fuller said as he did some stretching exercises in a parking lot near the Fox River before the race. “I’m trying to become a regular runner. It feels good that it’s not too cold and I decided about a month ago I would do this. I’m glad I did because I hear the race is sold out.”
Hundreds elected to enjoy a little fellowship while burning a few calories during the Turkey Trot. The race again began north of the pedestrian bridge near the heart of Aurora’s downtown before heading toward Indian Trail Road and then turning south on the west side of the river, crossing Illinois Avenue, and eventually returning to the pedestrian bridge for the finish.
New this year were three different start times with competitive runners moving out at 8:45 a.m., followed by a so-called Fun Run Start group at 9 a.m. and walkers and those with strollers at 9:15 a.m.
Last year’s record turnout of over 1,000 was eclipsed this year, forcing race officials to close entry to the race days before it was held.
East Aurora High School English teacher Shane Gillespie, 44, who also serves as the school’s cross-country and track coach, said the biggest change he sees now four years into the race he launched back in 2021 “is that it seems to be coming a community event.”
“I don’t know that we’re promoting any more than we have before but we have almost twice the number of registrants as we had the first year. Every year, a few hundred more sign up,” he said. “As of Wednesday before the race, we had 1,147 registered and we had to close registrations which we never had to do before. We’re kind of at max capacity for the path and after this year, we’ll have to explore more options about keeping it open and let more people in.”
Gillespie said he would like to maintain the same start and finish site “as they are sort of central to our city, but we might have to utilize some other roads or paths so we can get away from the two-way traffic we have on it a little bit.”
The race serves as a fundraiser for both the Aurora East Educational Foundation as well as its counterpart in the West Aurora School District known as the A+ Foundation.
Gillespie estimated the race this year would raise more than $50,000, a record total that will be used for student scholarships and teacher grants.
Hundreds enjoyed some fellowship before the race as groups of teachers, parents with kids and groups of friends gathered before start time and discussed their strategies.
Fuller said he “likes to go out slow and then pass people later on, as it kind of motivates me.”
Kristen Quigley of Montgomery, who teaches at Goodwin Elementary School in Aurora, said she has done the race once before and “likes supporting the West Aurora School District and getting money for our foundations.”
“I’m seeing a whole bunch of people here and meeting up,” she said. “I’m in the second group, just a casual runner. I try to run every now and then. For me, the 5K is my sweet spot.”
Holly Gehrmann, 9, of Aurora wasted no time trash talking about her father, whom she said she would beat in the upcoming race.
“I used to be a runner but I took a break and now I’m back at it and running again,” Holly said. “I found out about a week ago that I was going to run this. I ate a granola bar before I came out. My strategy is not too fast at the start, just having a good pace. I’m a faster runner than my dad.”
Paul Gehrmann heard his daughter’s prediction and said his daughter “would absolutely be faster than me.”
“She’s a beast,” he said with a laugh. “We sometimes run together. I’m going to try and pace us and I’ve got a watch and we’ll just see how fast we go and how we feel. We’re going off with the fast group. She told me to tell her every time we hit each mile and we’ll assess how we’re feeling until we get to the end.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
