It was a cool, sunny Thanksgiving Eve morning, and members of the Piedmont Recreation Department’s Walking on Wednesdays group gathered in front of the Exedra at their usual 10:30 a.m. meeting time. The group was smaller than usual for a holiday week, with about thirty walkers and one K-9 best friend ready to set out.
They were there to work up appetites for their Thanksgiving dinners, but for another reason too. More than 2,400 runners and walkers would be standing on this same spot the next morning for the annual Piedmont Turkey Trot, and the Wednesday group planned to get a head start. They would walk the entire Turkey Trot course the day before Thanksgiving and be the first to cross the race’s finish line.
With activity leader Dick Carter away, Matt Gerhardt took the lead. Matt and Harriette Louie had recently represented the group at the Piedmont Adult Recreation EXPO on November 16, and Matt began the morning by reading a few comments people had shared about what they liked most about the weekly activity. Then, he treated everyone to “A Turkey Trot Story.”
According to Matt, “Like all Walking on Wednesday stories, this one starts with Frank C. Havens. Frank was somewhat of an athlete, and every Wednesday he liked to go jogging around town with his publicist, a young man by the name of Dick Carter. They’d run up and down the streets while Dick made up heroic stories about Frank, and they had a good laugh together.
“Over time, their friends started running with them all over town, up La Salle and Seaview, down Mountain, and the group became known as the Wednesday Runners. This went on for many years, but eventually they all got too old to run, so they became the Wednesday Walkers.
“Now, there was an interim period, in between the Wednesday Runners and the Wednesday Walkers, when they were the Wednesday Trotters. And one year during that period, due to some kind of mix-up related to Leap Year, Thanksgiving fell on a Wednesday. All November of that year they called themselves the Turkey Trotters. Now, Frank C. Havens – that guy was always trying to make a buck – thought, ‘Just about everybody in Piedmont has the day off on Thanksgiving. I bet I could get them to pay to run with us and be Turkey Trotters.’
“Sure enough, it was wildly successful, and the Turkey Trot has continued to this day. Frank made a boatload of money off the deal and was able to buy the naming rights to the local elementary school. As for Dick Carter and the Wednesday Walkers, well, they all lived happily ever after.”
Matt made clear that this tale was pure fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents, he assured everyone, were products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real people or events was entirely coincidental.
With story hour concluded, Matt was ready to lead the group on the official Piedmont Turkey Trot 5K course. Before setting out, he shared a few statistics. According to Google, in 2024 approximately 1.1 million people participated in Thanksgiving Turkey Trot races across the United States, with 936 races held nationwide. Participation was up 21 percent from the previous year, and these events collectively raised more than $3.6 million for charities, making Thanksgiving the biggest running day of the year.
The Piedmont Turkey Trot is conducted by a nonprofit that supports local charities, the Piedmont High School Cross Country and Track and Field teams, and the PHS Athletic Boosters. This year marked the event’s twenty-fourth running. The first Turkey Trot was held in 2001 with about 300 participants. In one peak year, participation topped 3,100, but that size was eventually deemed unsafe and the number of runners was capped.
Last year’s top three overall finishers were Jack Stein (15:40), Xander Schulte-Sasse (16:17) and Robert Schutz (16:31). Eighty-year-old Len Goldman completed the course in 27:21. The Wednesday Walkers did not expect to match Jack’s or Len’s times, but they intended to complete every step of the Turkey Trot’s 5K, which is 3.1 miles.
The group took off from the Exedra, just steps from the race start and finish line on Magnolia Avenue. It was not a fast-paced trot, but a steady walk and stroll. The route followed Highland Avenue, then left on Wildwood Avenue, right on Crocker and Lafayette Avenues, and east on La Salle Avenue all the way to Hampton Road. From there, the group turned right on Sea View Avenue and began the long climb known affectionately as “Heartbreak Hill.” Walkers continued at their own pace, chatting with friends, enjoying the fall weather and making their way up the hill before floating down Mountain Avenue. They finished the loop on Craig, Highland, Vista and back onto Magnolia to complete the course.
It was great exercise, with good conversations and much to be thankful for. The group expects to repeat the Turkey Trot walk next Thanksgiving Eve.
Walking on Wednesdays meets each Wednesday at the Exedra (Highland and Magnolia Avenues) at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to join. There is no charge, and new walkers and their friendly K-9 best friends are always welcome. Registration is required. To sign up, go to https://tinyurl.com/3ethkehu or contact at (510) 420-3070 for more information.
