RSS
Home
Race review: YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase Turkey Chase
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The start of a recent B-CC Turkey Chase.
A spectator's sign at the 2009 YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase Turkey Trot 10K on Thursday accurately sums up the race course: "Love those hills."
A love of hills is helpful when running this fun, low-key 10K, which has been a Thanksgiving-morning tradition for decades in Montgomery County. The race's Web site doesn't offer an elevation map, but the several thousand runners who participate annually can plan on a relentless series of rises and falls through the 6.2-mile course.
The race starts and finishes at the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase YMCA, and spends most of its time on Wisconsin Avenue and Old Georgetown Road. It takes runners through a few lovely residential neighborhoods and through downtown Bethesda, where spectators cheering for family members with signs and cowbells provide a mental break from the tough course.
That sense of family permeates the race. Throngs of students home for the holidays proudly show off their college sweatshirts and fleeces. Dads coach their tweenage sons to hold a steady pace to finish strong, and moms tackle the killer hills with double baby joggers. It's the kind of race you run to have a good time, not to run one — and, of course, to work in a killer workout before your Thanksgiving feast.
The race is also extremely well-organized. A wave start prevents congestion at the start. Ample portable toilets and a horde of dedicated volunteers prevent lines of any sort before the race.
Most importantly, the race serves as a quintessential Montgomery County experience. Bethesda Magazine included the race in its list of "sixty-seven things we love about Bethesda," and in its 2009 "Best of Bethesda" list.
The race also includes a two-mile walk/run and a 50-meter tot trot for kids. Proceed benefit charities supported by the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary Club, including YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase scholarships, financial assistance and YMCA Youth and Family Services.
Did you run this race, or another turkey trot in the Washington, D.C., area? Share your post-race review by posting a comment. Want to know how this Examiner did? Check out the personal race report here.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
