Lots do the Turkey Trot

More than 10,000 lend feet to United Way benefit, raising more than $225,000 to end homelessness

Rosa Ramirez, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 24, 2006 at midnight

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The elbow-to-elbow crowd at the starting line of the four-mile Turkey Trot was eager to take off on a bright Thanksgiving morning at Washington Park.

Some were running in place, while others simply waited for the signal to go.

"The calories you will burn this morning, you'll be able to replace this afternoon, I suspect," Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said before the race.

More than 10,000 runners, joggers and walkers participated in the 33rd annual Mile High United Way's Turkey Trot on Thursday. The festive event brought out not only lots of babies in strollers and entire families, but fake turkeys and dogs wearing hats with feathers. People from 32 states participated.

The more than $225,000 raised from the run will go to Denver's Road Home, an aggressive 10-year program aimed to end homelessness in Denver. Hickenlooper said it takes about $40,000 to provide medical assistance, work training, rehabilitation and other assistance for each chronically homeless person.

Here's a look at some of the participants:

Best turkey costume

• Ken Peter

Age: 34

Occupation: "Computer nerd"

Hometown: Elizabeth

Peter, who was wearing a costume that appeared as if he was sitting on a turkey, said it was his fourth year entering the race.

"If I keep my turkey under control, I could probably finish the race in under 25 minutes," he said. "Actually, he's getting slower because his knees are giving him problems. At this pace, I think we're going to finish in two hours."

Best attitude

• Phil Mathews

Age: 69

Occupation: Retired. He worked as a technician for Hewlett Packard for more than 15 years.

Hometown: Aurora

Mathews was stretching on the front lawn of South High School an hour before the race began. He has been running in different races since 1993, including a marathon and half marathons.

"It's just good exercise to run in the mornings. I run with a small group once a week. But it's even more fun to be with lots of other people from different parts of Colorado. I do it mainly for the people."

Best volunteer

• Mariah Medina

Age: 10

Occupation: Fourth-grade student at McMeen Elementary School

Hometown: Denver

"I don't run. I volunteer," she said. "I just like to help people."

This is the second year Mariah and her mother, Niko Medina, 29, have volunteered at the Turkey Trot. After the race, she said she was heading to her grandmother's home for Indian tacos. The tacos, also known as Navajo tacos, are made with fry bread as a base, covered with a thick layer of fried beans and topped with ground beef, chopped lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

Best tradition

• Todd Grover, 38, and his wife Cynthia, 36, have been running for eight years. Their sons Ryan, 6, and Camden, 4, are learning about the family tradition.

Hometown: Golden

"There are many families here. I like the atmosphere," Cynthia Grover said. "I like that we can do it as a family. It's becoming a nice family tradition."

Best reason to run

• Elena Ramos

Age: 39

Occupation: Baker

Hometown: Denver

Ramos had never run in her life, until her 20-year-old daughter Esmeralda, who is a short-distance runner at Mesa State University, encouraged her to start training with her nearly two years ago.

"This is my second race. I'm proud and happy to be running with her. I want her to feel proud of me," she said. "I'm proud that I took up running."

Best reason to come to Denver

• Dennis Dauper

Age: 55

Occupation: Insurance broker

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Dauper has been coming to Colorado every Thanksgiving for the past five years to participate in the Trot. And while he's in town, he visits family in Lakewood. He's hoping to complete the race in less than 40 minutes.

"It's getting harder each year, but it's worth it."

Here are results Mile High United Way’s 33rd Annual Turkey Trot on Thursday morning at Washington Park.

4-Mile Run Timed Results - Women

Time Pace(per mile)

1. Danusia Teschner, age 34 23:33 5:54

2. Brandy Erholtz, age 29 23:41 5:55

3. Cary Costa, age 29 24:08 6:02

4-Mile Run Timed Results - Men

Time Pace(per mile)

1. Payton Batliner, age 22 19:25 4.81

2. Rickey Gates, age 25 20:29 5:07

3. Justin Butz, age 20 20:31 5:08

Runners raised $225,000 to United Way's Self Sufficiency Initiative and Denver's Road Home, which aims to end homelessness in Denver in 10 years.

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