Beloved Thanksgiving Day fitness event returns to the streets of Oceanside after a pandemic pause
OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The O’Side Turkey Trot returned to the streets of Oceanside on Thursday morning. Nearly 8,000 participants came together to ‘move their feet before they eat®’ for the sixteenth edition of San Diego County’s most popular Thanksgiving Day fitness event. The O’Side Turkey Trot benefits over 90 local charities and Oceanside schools, and this year’s funds raised are estimated to exceed $40,000.
The funds are awarded by the Move Your Feet Before You Eat®! Foundation, which was created to promote health and well-being through incorporating regular physical fitness into daily life, especially young people. Since 2007, the Foundation has donated more than $380,000 raised by the O’Side Turkey Trot.
“You could feel the joy and excitement in the air this morning as our runners, walkers and joggers crossed the starting line. After a very difficult year, seeing our participants head out onto the course felt like a fresh new beginning,” said Kathy Kinane, co-founder and race director of O’Side Turkey Trot. “There’s no better way to kick off the holiday, and to mark the return of being together with family, friends, and neighbors this Thanksgiving.”
There were many triumphant trotters who took home top honors at this year’s event. From speedy running to festive outfits, there were a variety of ways to earn awards. In the team contest, Team Austin Bice, El Camino Cross Country/Terras Trails Team, Burn Boot Camp Oceanside, Pannikin Runners, and the Tri-City Trotters drew the most participants and took home $100 gift certificates. Karla Khalifa (31:17) in the women’s division and Christopher Wernke in the men’s division (26:23) were first to cross the finish line in the 5-mile event. For the 5k, Trevor Boaz (15:09) and Alexia Thiros (17:02) were the victors in the men’s and women’s fields respectively. Full results for each age group and event are available to view here.
This year’s O’Side Turkey Trot participants represented 44 different states and five countries including Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Australia. Over half were participating in the Trot for the very first time. Race organizers attribute this to the surge in physical fitness during the pandemic, where many turned walking and running amid gym closures.
The O’Side Turkey Trot and its organizers have received national recognition for the event. Runner’s World Magazine and the Los Angeles Times both named the race one of the top Turkey Trots in the country.
The O’Side Turkey Trot will take place again next year on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 2022. To be the first to know when registration for 2022 opens and for more information on the O’Side Turkey Trot, visit www.osideturkeytrot.com. Follow the event on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
About Kinane Events and the O’Side Turkey Trot
Kinane Events have specialized in Southern California event marketing and management for over 30 years. Established in 1991, the award-winning Kinane Events team has managed over 180 large participatory sporting events including the O’Side Turkey Trot. For more information on Kinane Events, visit www.kinaneevents.com.
