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Turkey Chasers hit the road
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The start of the 24th annual YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary Foundation Turkey Chase race on Thursday in Bethesda.
Bethesda (Map, News) - Hundreds of people stretched out on Old Georgetown Road and Beech Avenue on a gray and rainy Thursday morning about to hit the road. But it wasn’t because of eating too much turkey, although that might have come later.
More than 5,000 runners and walkers participated in the 24th annual Turkey Chase held by the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary Club, raising about $100,000.
The money is used for the YMCA’s financial assistance program and outreach services. The Rotary Club uses its funds for small community grants and their annual shopping spree for 40 Bethesda Elementary students.
“We do this every year,” said Bill Porter, 31, a firefighter from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. The race is a requirement for new recruits and shows support for the community, he said.
“At 9:30 a.m. we’ve already run six miles instead of sleeping until 12, so its a great mental boost for the day,” said 16-year-old Ellie Dugan, of Silver Spring. Dugan was joined by her sister, Abby, 19; a friend from their cross-country team at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, 16-year-old Ilana Greene, 16; and Greene’s cousin, 16-year-old Maryann Kokus, who was in town for the holiday.
“It makes it easier to go to Thanksgiving later on,” said Lee Altobello, 37, of Potomac, who was running her third Turkey Chase.
First-time chaser, Jay Eichberg, 39, of Rockville, said it was the third time he had ever run the distance and was glad Suburban Hospital was nearby “just in case.”
Josh Felker, 43, and his daughters Helen, 13, and Alice, 9, were running in the two-mile fun run for the first time — as a warm up to next year’s 10K.
“We like to exercise,” said Alice Felker.
“It is better than watching football,” Helen Felker added.
The 10K race included using special microchips in the runners’ shoes, a new feature this year, to more accurately time the run, said Courtney Mathias, the YMCA’s race director. “It opens the running pool to a wide variety of runners,” she said.
