SHREWSBURY – On Thanksgiving morning, Shrewsbury residents laced up their running sneakers and pinned on their bibs for the annual Shrewsbury Turkey Trot for the Memory.
The race, which was held at Shrewsbury Town Common, featured a five-mile run and a two-mile run/walk to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s.
“I am one of the originals that started this. My family comes back every year. We love it,” said Diego Chamberlain, the nephew of the Shrewsbury Turkey Trot founder Jane Lizotte.
This marked the 11th year of the Turkey Trot. Chamberlain noted that this Thanksgiving’s Turkey Trot had about 2,000 pre-registered runners, which is the most in the race’s history.
This year was the first time father and daughter team Simon and Isobel Adamson participated in the Turkey Trot. They finished the two-mile race in just under 19 minutes.
“It’s awesome and such a great thing to do together,” Simon said.
Another father-daughter duo, Susanna and James Oppong, said they ran because they “wanted to do something fun together.”
“We also wanted to support the cause for Alzheimer’s,” Susanna said.
One of the youngest runners, 11-year-old Ryan Flanagan, said he ran the two-mile race in about 17 minutes.
Flanagan said he decided to participate because he “just loves to run.”
Karen Fang said she ran with her boyfriend who is a resident of Shrewsbury.
She said her favorite part of the race was seeing staff members and volunteers helping everyone.
“That was really, really nice. Very organized I’d say,” she said.
