Ice and snow can’t keep students away from USU’s Turkey Trot
Below freezing temperatures, ice and snow were not enough to deter Utah State University’s Turkey Trot 5K participants Saturday. For some students, the icy track and $10 signup fee were worth the prize: turkeys, awarded to the fastest man and woman in the race.
“That’s why I did it,” said Dillon Maggard, an undeclared freshman and first-place finisher of the race, “because it costs more than $10 for a turkey, right?”
The course started at the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building and trailed east around USU campus. In order to finish the race, participants had to run twice around the track. Maggard achieved the fastest time, even though he ended up running approximately 100 meters more than the rest of the participants.
“I went the wrong way actually,” Maggard said, “and I had to come back. … I wasn’t paying attention and went the wrong way for a 100 meters or so, and I had to run back.”
Aside from a training exercise with the USU cross country team, Maggard said he had never run in snow before.
“I’m not used to the snow because I’m from Seattle,” Maggard said. “It rains a lot but doesn’t snow. I had to used shorter steps and slowed down a little.”
Despite the snow, more participants showed up for the 10 a.m. race than anticipated, said fitness coordinator Jared Liechty.
“After last night’s snowstorm I wasn’t sure how many people would show up,” Liechty said. “Prior to that we had about 54 people, and we have over 60 now.”
Graduate student Marie Walsh was the fastest female runner and also received a turkey after the race.
“We’re really excited,” Walsh said. “We were just looking at Pinterest to get some recipes for tonight.”
Walsh entered the race at the last minute, with no preparation except her regular running routine.
“I didn’t even decide to do the race till this morning,” Walsh said, “but I’m an avid runner, and I really enjoy running, so I usually run a couple of times a week.”
As for running in the snow, Walsh has experience.
“I did high school cross country in upstate New York,” Walsh said. “I’ve actually run in conditions worse than this. I wear my winter ski socks to keep my ankles warm, and you just kind of have to fight through the snow and do your best.”
Walsh said her strategy involved a combination of pacing and determination to outrun others.
“My strategy was to take the first lap easy,” Walsh said. “I actually had my boyfriend running with me today so I wanted to catch him on the second lap and beat him. And the turkey was definitely motivating.”
Walsh admitted that there were parts the track that required some caution. Though she never fell, Walsh said the track was particularly difficult around the Taggart Student Center.
“It was really hard,” Walsh said. “Especially by the TSC it was really bumpy, and you try to go faster, and you just slip the faster you go. I didn’t fall, and I never came close but all the turns, I definitely slowed down and took little baby steps.”
While participants were encouraged to dress in costumes for the race, only Ariel and Kyle Finlinson ventured to dress as ninjas.
“I always just really liked just dressing up for 5Ks,” said Ariel, a graduate student in second language teaching. “I was thinking about what we could dress up as, and I remembered of picture of one of my friends when she dressed up as a ninja, and I was like, ‘We could do that.’”
The popularity of the race through the years was what brought so many participants, Leichty said.
“People want it,” Liechty said. “They want to run it even if it’s only 30 degrees outside.”
— katherine.l.larsen@gmail.com