Last Updated on November 18, 2024 12:35 pm
BOONE, N.C. – November 15, 2024: – The annual High Country Turkey Trot will again take place Thanksgiving morning, Thursday November 28, on the Boone Greenway Trail at Clawson-Burnley Park. However, this fourteenth edition aims to take the event to the next level. The event has added a 10K race to the well-established 5K race, the largest 5K in the High Country, is providing medals to each runner who completes their respective race, and High Country Turkey Trot swag for age-group and top three finishers of both races. Top three age-group finishers will receive a custom Himalayan Tumbler and top three male and female finishers will receive a custom backpack, along with the customary pumpkin pie from Stick Boy Bread Company.
This annual Thanksgiving Day event benefits Hospitality House of Northwest N.C. and in light of the recent destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, this year’s event is sub-branded “Run to Recover.” Proceeds will go toward the long-haul recovery efforts by the regional agency, that works in seven counties, to secure safe and stable housing for individuals and families who are currently unhoused.
The 5K and 10K races will cover some of the most well maintained single and double track trails in the High Country via The Boone Greenway and Kennedy Trails. The untimed Fun Run/Walk will take advantage of the paved paths throughout the park, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable morning.
The 10K chip-timed race will kick off at 8:30 a.m., with the 5K beginning promptly at 9:00 a.m., and the Fun Run/Walk, for casual runners, joggers and walkers following fifteen minutes later. Named a Top Ten Holiday 5K race by Our State magazine back in 2016, this destination race regularly attracts over 1,000 participants from twenty-five different states and over fifty North Carolina cities and towns.
“I am just so happy that we are able to have the Turkey Trot this year, the fortieth anniversary of our organization,” stated Hospitality House chief development director Todd Carter. “It was touch and go for a few weeks after Helene hit, and we had to alter the original 10K course, but it is indeed happening.”
Since 2011, the High Country Turkey Trot has raised over $345,000 and six tons of food to support the mission of Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina, a regional homeless services agency providing housing, food access, counseling and homeless prevention in seven counties.
Presented by Allen Wealth Management, Mast General Store, Kilwin’s of Blowing Rock, and Stallings & Co. Interior Design, the event also features the Leigh Cooper Wallace winner’s chute, dedicated in 2013, live DJ, apple cider, coffee, hot chocolate, healthy snacks, outdoor fire pits and gas heaters. Additional sponsors include Molecular Toxicology Inc., Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Allen Wealth Management, Bridgeman Dental, Curtis Media/High Country Radio, Pet Prairie Dog Retreat, LifeStore Bank & Insurance, Mustard Seed Market, David Patrick Moses, Architect, and American Race Timing & Management.
The Fun Run/Walk course is paved and wheelchair accessible. Everyone is welcome to participate, including families with children, strollers, and pets on a leash. All participants are asked to bring non-perishable food items – canned goods, boxed goods, dry goods – for donation to the Hospitality House Food Access programs which served close to 200,000 meals last year in their Community Kitchen, Food Pantry, and Remote Food Locker Program in the Bethel community.
Registration, available online at HCTurkeyTrot.org, is $40 and includes a commemorative long-sleeve t-shirt in both adult and youth sizes. Back by popular demand is the Sleep-In Option, also $40, and is perfect for someone who’s not a morning person, is stuck at home cooking the turkey or just loves to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Packet pickup will be available November 27 from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Hospitality House Watauga Housing & Outreach Center, located at 160 Den Mac Drive beside Hatchet Coffee. Packet pickup will also be available the morning of the event beginning at 7:30 a.m.
To learn more about Hospitality House, visit them online at HospHouse.org, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat or Venmo at @HospHouse; or on X @HospHouseNWNC.
