Instead of sleeping in on Thanksgiving and being awakened by the distant aroma of the day’s feast being cooked downstairs, I wake up bright and early, face the cold, and run five miles.
I participate in the Turkey Trot every year without fail. Waking up early with fresh air makes me feel productive; I can build an appetite for my feast later, and I can run for a charity on a day meant for giving thanks. But the most important part of the Turkey Trot is the feeling of being a part of a community, a feeling that echoes the spirit of Thanksgiving. The Turkey Trot serves as a perfect initiation to Thanksgiving for families who are new to the community and the holiday.
When my parents first moved from England to the United States, they did not celebrate Thanksgiving because it was a foreign holiday to them. We have no family in America, so we could not decipher how Thanksgiving held meaning or resonated with us. We had no familial traditions that are central to Thanksgiving, until we started running in the Turkey Trot.
The Turkey Trot is the only time of the year when I actually run. At first, I was not too fond of running five miles in the cold, but I have grown to enjoy the run as it has added an American influence and tradition to my family.
When I was in third grade, my brother, who enjoyed running, ran the Turkey Trot for the first time, and the rest of my family walked it. The next year, my dad started running, and when I was old enough, I started running, too. The run’s atmosphere was very welcoming to my family, as we were new to Westport and had the opportunity to meet and integrate into our local community.
When all of our friends around us had the tradition of family reunions and gatherings on Thanksgiving, we were often reminded of how much we missed our extended family. However, our family friends, who also do not have any family in America, joined us for the Turkey Trot, and we all began to share our Thanksgiving meal and day together, starting up a tradition that has lasted many years.
Even when my family moved to Arizona for three years, we kept running the Turkey Trot, which displayed our dedication to our family Thanksgiving tradition, keeping in touch with the community even across the country. I am grateful for the Turkey Trot because it allowed my family to grasp what Thanksgiving means to us, a time to be thankful for each other and our family friends who have provided us with a sense of family and belonging.
