No turkeys were harmed in this race
Published 12:32 am Sunday, November 27, 2011
Ben Hillyer | The Natchez Democrat — Children bolt from the starting line during the second annula Turkey Trot one-mile fun run Saturday.
NATCHEZ — David Hefley waited a year to win his first Turkey Trot — but not by choice.
Hefley finished first place with a time of 18 minutes and 54 seconds at the second annual Turkey Trot 5k run Saturday.
Ben Hillyer |The Natchez Democrat — David Hefley runs to the finish line at the bottom of Main Street during the second annual Turkey Trot. The 5k is part of the Christmas in Natchez events.
Last year 14-year-old John Schroeder, an eighth grader from Houston, Texas, and unknown competitor to the Natchez running community, passed Hefley at the mile and a half mark.
“Some kid in basketball shorts just ran past me,” Hefley said. “That was the last time I saw him.”
A native of Natchez, Hefley travels from Nashville every year for Thanksgiving.
“I just figured I’d start doing this since I’m always home this time of year,” Hefley said.
Coming in second, Stewart Mophett crossed the finish line with a time of 19 minutes and 15 seconds and said the weather helped his time.
Ben Hillyer | The Natchez Democrat — It is all for one and one for all as Chris Pool and his wife Kathleen Pool crossed the finish line with Charlotte Sanguinetti, Jeannie Tatum Sanchez and other members of the Tatum family Saturday.
“The breeze kind of helps keep you cool, so it was really good weather,” Mophett said.
This year’s Turkey Trot gave Mophett his best 5k time yet.
“It feels good,” Mophett said.
Curtis Moroney came in close third with a time of 19 minutes and 30 seconds and said the weather was a deciding factor for him this year.
“I almost thought about not running because it was so cold last year,” Moroney said.
Organizer Rene Adams said she was excited about the turnout this year and hopes to see the streets of Natchez filled in the coming years.
“Natchez is looking for healthier options,” Adams said. “A lot of people that I see who haven’t been active in a long time are lean and fit, so I think we’re doing good.”
While the 5k was the main showcase of the day, footwear, and lack there of, stole the show of the one-mile fun run.
Ben Hillyer | The Natchez Democrat — Ruth Nichols, below, cheers racers all the way to the finish line during the Turkey Trot 5K race.
Lane Willis, 11, finished in first place with a time of 6 minutes and 5 seconds.
An impressive time in itself, Willis’ biggest challenge was running the race in his camouflaged hunting boots.
“We were hunting this morning and I wasn’t planning on running,” Willis said. “I forgot to bring my tennis shoes, but I decided to run anyway.”
Willis said the boots both helped and hurt his running.
Ben Hillyer | The Natchez Democrat — first place fun run winner Lane Willis in his hunting boots watches as Ally Wheeler crosses the finish with just one shoe on.
“Well when you’re going uphill they help, but when you’re going downhill your feet start slipping,” Willis said.
Ally Wheeler, 12, didn’t know what to do when her shoe started coming untied half way through the race.
“I kind of just kicked it off and kept running,” Wheeler said. “My foot hurts.”
Wheeler finished the race in fourth place with a time of 7 minutes and 6 seconds.
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