By Arden Berry | Staff Writer
Turkeys may be flightless birds, but registered runners will fly through Baylor Health Services’ first annual Turkey Trot 5K Fun Run starting at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Uriah Yarbrough, staff nurse and outreach coordinator, said the route for the Turkey Trot will start and end at the McLane Student Life Center and will go along the Bear Trail with an extra turn on Third and Fifth Streets.
Yarbrough and fellow staff nurse Virginia Castile are coordinating the event.
“We were trying to toss ideas around,” Yarbrough said. “[Castile]’s like, ‘Well, can we do a 5K?’ And I was like, ‘I mean, I got you if you ask.’ And she asked and they were like, ‘Sure, why not?’”
Yarbrough said they had 100 spots, and all were filled.
“We had a great response,” Yarbrough said. “We initially only had 40 people for two weeks, and then over 24 to 48 hours, we met that hundred.”
Yarbrough said faculty, staff, students and even participants’ pets will be among those running.
“We didn’t really want to limit it just to students,” Yarbrough said. “We wanted to be open.”
Yarbrough said each runner will receive a bag from P. F. Chang’s, and the runners who come in first, second and third will earn an additional prize.
“You get a free appetizer, you get some chopsticks, a chopstick holder, some cookies, a little bit of candy,” Yarbrough said. “We’re going to have a special surprise for some other runners, but I don’t want to give it all away.”
Portland, Ore., sophomore Carson Wheaton, Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) public relations manager, said his role was to get volunteers for the race.
“It was a little stressful for a day or two, but we had a great turnout, so it’s looking amazing for the handouts and the setup, and so it’s been pretty rewarding,” Wheaton said.
Wheaton said he will also be hosting a tabling event at the race to educate runners about the importance of hydration.
“I’ll be handing out cold water and electrolytes,” Wheaton said. “Just making sure people are healthy out there and get replenished after the race.”
Yarbrough reiterated that runners should hydrate in preparation for the run.
“We want to make sure you eat well, you hydrate well, you’re going to familiarize themselves with the route,” Yarbrough said. “We’re going to be sending an email on Friday with the route and instructions. And also, we want to really encourage participants to do some warmups beforehand. We will have medical on staff in case something happens, but we prefer that not occur.”
According to an email sent out to runners, they can pick up their packets Friday from 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
“We can’t wait to share a fun and exciting race day with you,” the email read.
Yarbrough said the goal of the event is to promote community physical health.
“There are a lot of people who don’t like to run by themselves, and so this is an opportunity to make some new friendships and get out there and do a community run, and maybe you guys can get some run buddies,” Yarbrough said.
He said this relates to the Health Center’s overall goal of helping students stay in class. Maintaining your physical health, he said, makes it easier to recover if you get ill.
Yarbrough also said they want students to have fun.
“We got a guy in a turkey suit,” Yarbrough said. “We plan to have a good time with it.”
The $1,000 in proceeds from registration and event fees will go to the Student Foundation.
For students who missed this registration but would still like to run in a holiday-themed race, Yarbrough said Health Services hopes to host a “Bunny Hop” in the spring.
According to their website, the Health Center itself is also available to students 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturday.
“Obviously, we want students to know we’re here,” Yarbrough said. “We’re here for you.”
