Arnold Air Force Base Thanksgiving tradition continues with 33rd Annual AEDC Turkey Trot

  • Published
  • By Bradley Hicks
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  When 1st Lt. Johnathan Gutierrez began planning this year’s AEDC Turkey Trot, the first-time organizer learned through his research that turkey trots are the most popular footraces in America.

And more than 30 years after the first one was held at Arnold Air Force Base, the Thanksgiving holiday tradition continues to draw a crowd.

More than two dozen runners flocked to the 33rd Annual AEDC Turkey Trot, which was held Nov. 16 at Arnold. The 5K, or approximately 3.1-mile run, took racers around the loop in front of the Administration & Engineering Building known as Kindel Drive, and the hues of the fall foliage provided the backdrop as runners made their ways onto the base Fitness Trail. From there, participants exited the trail and sprinted around Kindel Drive in the opposite direction as they made a dash for the finish line located in front of the A&E Building.

“We had a really nice day, and we’ve got some good volunteers and good people,” Gutierrez said following the race. “Everybody ran their hearts out.”

Like Peas and Carrots, the pair of turkeys pardoned by President Donald Trump just before Thanksgiving, the AEDC Turkey Trot recently received a reprieve from what could have been its demise.

The first AEDC Turkey Trot was held in 1985, and the race quickly became an annual tradition at Arnold AFB. But, for the first time in three decades, an official Turkey Trot was not held at Arnold in 2016. Undeterred, a group of more than a dozen runners gathered to hold an unsanctioned AEDC Turkey Trot.

The Arnold AFB Company Grade Officers’ Council, which has hosted the run over the years, again hosted an official Turkey Trot in 2017. Last year’s event saw nearly five dozen registered participants.

Gutierrez plucked any concerns that the AEDC Turkey Trot would again fall by the wayside.

“We’re bringing it back,” he said.

Like last year’s event and as has been the case historically, the 33rd Annual AEDC Turkey Trot will benefit needy families in the area. Participants were asked to bring a non-perishable food item for donation. The food collected will be donated to the Good Samaritan foodbank in Tullahoma.

The AEDC Turkey Trot is viewed as a way to bring civilian contractors, government employees and military members across Arnold together to have a little non-competitive fun before the holiday. But this year, there was more than pride and bragging rights driving the more competitive runners among the group. Prizes were on the line, and the first male and female to finish each took home a heavy dose of tryptophan.

Paul Wright, project manager in Arnold AFB Capital Improvements, remains undefeated in the AEDC Turkey Trot since the event returned from its brief hiatus. For the second consecutive year, Wright finished first overall, this year with a time of 22 minutes 11 seconds.

“It’s a good tradition for the base to have, and I try to participate every year that I can,” Wright said.

First-time AEDC Turkey Trot participant Johanna Hay, daughter of Leslie Hay, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service liaison at Arnold, finished first among female runners and second overall with a time of 23 minutes 44 seconds.

“I’ve been training,” Johanna said. “I like to run, and I’m getting back into running.”

As the prize for placing first in their respective groups, Wright and Hay each walked away with a frozen turkey just in time for Thanksgiving.

For Gutierrez, the event marked not only his first time as organizer but his first time as a participant in the AEDC Turkey Trot. He finished second among male runners and fourth overall with a time of 24 minutes 22 seconds. Laura Burke, mechanical design engineer at Arnold, finished second among female runners and third overall with a time of 24 minutes 1 second.

For finishing second in their respective groups, Gutierrez and Burke received a pack of sliced turkey breast.

This marked Burke’s first year running in the AEDC Turkey Trot, but her mother, Maureen Burke, who is also employed at Arnold, is a longtime participant and finished this year’s race with a time of 27 minutes 19 seconds.

“I followed in her footsteps,” Laura said.

This year’s Turkey Trot introduced several changes over the 2017 event, including prizes and a different route. Gutierrez said additional changes could come to the 34th Annual AEDC Turkey Trot.

“We’re going to try to change it around again next year if I can partner with the Arnold Services Office and they’ll let me do something over by the Arnold Lakeside Center,” Gutierrez said. “I’d like to start and finish at the ALC, and then people can jump in the ALC if they want to for a social hour.”