2,000 Turn Out for FishHawk Turkey Trot

What began as a modest community service project has blossomed into one of the area's largest 5K runs.

The third annual FishHawk Turkey Trot brought out an estimated 2,000 people on Thanksgiving morning eager to participate in the 5K run and family fun run or simply cheer on those who were running.

"The turnout is amazing," said organizer Leda Eaton, recalling how the event started out as an attempt to obtain some community service hours for her children.

"They were on the cross-country team at Newsome High School. I remembered turkey trots when I lived in West Virginia and suggested we do a turkey trot here," she said.

"The first year, I was expecting maybe 100 people. We had 450 and were completely overwhelmed. Since then, it's grown by leaps and bounds. Last year we had it at the high school and outgrew that venue. It's now the largest road race in the area."

The road race now benefits an organization Eaton has founded at Lamb of God Church in Lithia. Seeds of Hope is a food pantry that provides food to needy residents in the area.

A tutor at Pinecrest Elementary School, Eaton became aware of the great needs of the migrant farmworker families in the area and wanted to help them.

"There's a huge need right now," she said. "The migrants are out of work until the strawberry season begins. Because we get no government subsidies at Seeds of Hope, we're able to serve these families without all of the government bureaucracy.

For residents like Susan Messer, 43, who finished the race in 42 minutes, it was a chance to get some exercise on a picture-perfect Thanksgiving morning.

"It was a great crowd, very friendly," said Messer. "It beats sitting at home on the couch. I enjoyed the beautiful weather and the nice people."

While their parents participated in the road race, children had a chance to do crafts provided by Superior Residences.

Among the families that came out for the event were Jill and Bob Dewhurst and their two children, Matthew, 3, and Will, 4 1/2.

"This is our first time doing this," said Jill Dewhurst. "We just thought it would be something fun to do, start a new tradition."

The overall winner of the 5K run was Eric Hall, 32, with a time of 16 minutes 54 seconds. The first woman to cross the finish line was 30-year-old Kristine Claffie with a time of 20 minutes 43 seconds.