Hundreds Take Part in Local Turkey Trots From Hampton Bays to East Moriches

Local turkey trots from Hampton Bays to Westhampton Beach and East Moriches were all deemed a success on Thanksgiving, with hundreds attending each one.

Although the Westhampton Veterans of Foreign Wars Turkey Trot, now in its seventh year, does not post place winners, coordinator Bill Hughes said there is a clock for runners to note their time. A couple of young men, he said, finished rather quickly, definitely under 17:00. In a nice twist from typical races, awards were given out prior to the race to 20 participants with outstanding costumes. And commemorative hats were given to the largest participating team, the Westhampton Beach wrestling team. The team is set to get its season underway this weekend.

The second annual Hampton Bays Fire Department Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk saw just under 430 cross the finish line last week. Ethan Goldman, 33, of Manorville won the 5K race in 17:59.02, a mile pace of 5:47. He was followed by David Jukes, 64, of Hinsdale, Illinois, who finished in 18:15.93. Hometown runner Carl Mills, 46, placed third overall in 18:45.75, then Thomas Pescatore, 27, of New Haven, Connecticut, crossed in 19:21.90. Marissa McDougall, 17, of Ronkonkoma was the first woman to finish the race and rounded out the top five after finishing in 19:29.55.

Just over 820 people finished the East Moriches Turkey Trot, with hometown runner Daniel Gross, 23, winning the 3.1-mile race in 15:37.81, a blazing mile pace of 5:02. Bill Holl, 37, of Blue Point finished second in 16:12.10, Gavin Calvo, 16, of Mastic placed third in 17:41.32, Stephen Wefer, 48, of Manorville finished fourth in 17:43.94, and Massimo Picca, 16, of Webster, New York, rounded out the top five, crossing the finish line in 18:40.37. Sara Mikula, 16, of Manorville was the first female to finish the race in 20:16.46.

Results of both the Hampton Bays and East Moriches Turkey Trots can be found at elitefeats.com.