By Claire Regenstreif
Staff Writer
Families have traditions for the Thanksgiving holiday and for some, that tradition is running in the 32nd annual Turkey Trot Race in Torrance on Thanksgiving morning.
The turkey trot is held all over the state on Thanksgiving day, but closest to Manhattan Beach is the race in Torrance. This race is held every year in honor of the Harry Sutter memorial. Many people come together year after year to participate in this fun run, and many Mira Costa students participated.
“The turkey trot was a lot of fun and I did it because it’s a family tradition of mine,” participant Larkin Dickson said.
Turkey Trot, participants come from all over the South Bay. West High school participated, members of the Torrance city council participated, as well as many Mira Costa students. For most runners, this run is about wanting to spend their morning making a fun memory with friends and family.
“I raced with some of my teammates and it was a good way to burn off calories before a thanksgiving feast,” participant Ari Lear said.
Some participants work hard before the race to place or get a certain time in the run. Runners train and do difficult workouts to improve their times or compete with other participants who have previously ran better than them.
“I run everyday and do intervals to prepare for runs like this. I ran for fun but I also ran to improve my time from last thanksgiving, I run the race every year and see how much faster I can get,” participant Brendan White said.
Many runners go back year after year to compete in this tradition every Thanksgiving. According to Pignatello, it’s a fun way to improve a skill and keep a tradition alive.
“This was my thirteenth year running in the Turkey Trot and it has become a tradition my family and I do yearly,” participant Susan Pignatello said.
According to many runners, Thanksgiving is about giving back and the trot is a good way to give back to the Harry Sutter memorial. Many think Thanksgiving traditions last year after year and people honor their traditions by participating in the fun run.
“Running in the turkey trot was a good feeling because running for the Harry Sutter memorial was like giving thanks for my life. It was also a tradition that I plan to make and run it again next year,” participant Michael Katerndahl said.
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