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The 47th annual Turkey Run For Fun in Montauk on Thanksgiving Day. RICHARD LEWIN
The 47th annual Turkey Run For Fun in Montauk on Thanksgiving Day. RICHARD LEWIN
The 47th annual Turkey Run For Fun in Montauk on Thanksgiving Day. RICHARD LEWIN
Adrian Segovia and Kim Brooks at the 47th annual Turkey Run for Fun in Montauk on Thanksgiving Day. RICHARD LEWIN
Kari and Denis Shea, Eddie Ecker and Ronan and Maggie Shea at the 47th annual Turkey Run For Fun in Montauk on Thanksgiving Day. RICHARD LEWIN
Folks register for the 47th annual Turkey Run For Fun in Montauk on Thanksgiving Day. RICHARD LEWIN
It never gets old for Ryan Fowkes.
The Amagansett native, for the fourth year in a row, won the 6-mile race of the Montauk Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and the 22-year-old said there’s just something about coming back home and taking part in a local race that he really enjoys.
“I remember coming back for my second lap of the 6-mile loop and a lot of people were walking and so many of them recognized me and encouraged me to keep going, so it’s always nice to run a race like that,” he said. “It’s always special to come home and see all the familiar faces.”
Fowkes won his race in 30:29.58, a blistering mile pace of 5:05. Jonah Lytle, 25, of Sag Harbor placed second of the 133 finishers in the 6-mile race in 33:52.43, with Erin Gregoire, 26, of New York City being the first female to cross the finish line, third overall, in 35:22.91. Tim Rossi, 31, also of New York City, finished fourth in 35:23.63, and hometown runner John Piroch, 24, rounded out the top five in 35:46.95.
“It was a pretty standard day for a local road race,” Fowkes said. “I’d say the weather wasn’t great, but I knew there wasn’t going to be a ton of competition, so I went out pretty quick and settled in the middle part of the race. Ended up winning by a pretty good margin and it was a comfortable run for me, so it was nice.”
The 3-mile was the more popular of three race options with 885 runners finishing the shorter distance. Nicolas Rodgers, 18, of Washington, D.C., won the race in 15:21.85, followed by Will Tainter-Gilbert, 21, of Sandy Hook, Connecticut, who finished in 15:42.14. Lauren Dara, 43, of New York City was the first female to cross the finish line in 19:36.15.
The Montauk Turkey Trot was founded by John Keeshan in 1976, when he and a group of friends ran 11 miles, from the Village Green to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, and back again. The 11-mile edition of the race is still offered in a virtual-only form, and according to elitefeats.com, Harry Helbock, 27, of Brighton, Massachusetts, was the only runner to complete that race. He finished in 1:24:19.
Although the registration fee increased this year to $20, due to what event organizers said are rising costs, it didn’t stop the nearly 1,000 people coming out to Montauk on the holiday.
