30 years and still Trotting
November 25th, 2008 by Lorna Bracewell in Lorna Bracewell, News
Since the dawn of man (or at least since they all moved down here from Indiana and Illinois), my family have been faithful participants in the St. Petersburg Times‘ Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot is a somewhat counter-intuitive Thanksgiving ritual: On the one day out of the year when all of our physical, mental and spiritual energy is supposed to be focused on eating, thousands of folks here in Tampa Bay flood the streets of Clearwater at 6:30am to run a 10K… or maybe jog a 5K…or, in the case of my family, lazily stroll a 1 mile route called “The Gobbler.”
In 30 years, three generations (it was four until my great grandpa passed away in ‘95 and it just might be four again this year because my brother and his wife had their first child) of Bracewells, Normans, Spears and Hunts have not missed a single Trot. We’ve Trotted with colds, flues, broken legs and cancer. My aunt Trots in her electric scooter and if she hits an impassable dirt patch in the road, my cousins and I lift her out. My best friend Billy Trotted on crutches his senior year of high school to impress my sister (his ex-girlfriend) who he hoped would take him back after such a display of strength and dedication. (It didn’t work.)
My mom Trots in the same outrageously unfashionable but totally practical jumpsuit she has worn solely for this occasion for 15 years and she has the buttons to prove it. For those of you that don’t know, the Turkey Trot button is an integral component of this Thanksgiving tradition. During your time in Tampa Bay, you may have seen a local or two sporting a Turkey Trot t-shirt. They have this t-shirt because they officially registered to participate in one of the races. In other words, they bought it. A true Trotter knows better. A true Trotter knows that if they get to the starting line early enough, there will be some unfortunate soul in a giant turkey suit handing out official Turkey Trot buttons for free. (This year, that person will be my mom. Please, be nice to the turkey or I’ll beat your green-bean-casserole-inflated ass all the way into next Thanksgiving.)
I’ll be the first to admit that the Turkey Trot is lame and weird. My partner refuses to participate in it. She just doesn’t get it and I don’t expect her to. If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve been Trotting every Thanksgiving morning since I’ve been alive, I wouldn’t get it either. I’d spend Thanksgiving morning licking whisks and making deviled eggs like the rest of America. But that’s not what the holiday is to me and to thousands of other Trotters out there like me. For us, Thanksgiving isn’t about pilgrims and pumpkin pie. It’s about sleepwalking for one mile and eating a free banana at the finish line. It’s not about mom making turkey and dressing. It’s about mom dressing up like a turkey. Thanksgiving is about being that perfect mixture of proud of and embarassed by your family. It’s about thinking, “I’m one of these people. Dear God, I’m one of these people.”
November 25th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Can we also please not forget the bagpipe ensemble at the halfway point. There were years when I reached half a mile and had thoughts of just giving up, enough was enough. It was them (and the giant stack of buttery pancakes at the breakfast place we would go to after the race) that kept me going.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Lorna, that sounds like a great tradition. I wish I could join you. Tell Lexi she will have to eat one of mine and Tim’s breakfast casseroles or trot and I’d bet she’d be out there trotting by your side! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
November 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
The Trot is never the same without you, Nicole. I love you!
November 25th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Stay away from Tim & Kristen’s breakfast casseroles. The Turkey trot is a much saner tradition than one of those things. Love your blog! Have a great holiday.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
OK, I was sent over here by Hillary. Love the blog! In all the years that I lived in Pinellas county I have to confess to never trotting. Still, I love odd traditions like that.
I hope you all have a delightful Thanksgiving. The really good news is — you don’t have 5 inches of snow on the ground like we do. ::sigh::
November 25th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I’ll bet your partner does “get it”, doesn’t think its lame or weird, and would love to “gobble” (not trot – since “trotting” seems to be a term reserved for the 10K monsters) with you and your family, but enjoys this one day of sleeping longer than you :)
xoxo