Report by Naoise Waldron
Myself and fellow club member Nessa came to the States for Thanksgiving to visit family in the small town of Goshen, Indiana. Having never been here for Thanksgiving before, I wanted to experience all aspects of it and after a little searching on Google, I found the local Turkey Stampede was taking place in nearby Concord, in aid of Faith Mission who support homeless people. The event starts and finishes in the car park of the Concord Mall, with a 10k run, 5k run/walk and 1 mile family walk options. I decided to enter the 10k, whilst Nessa and my aunt Aileac completed the 5k walk.
The race was preceded by a prayer of thanks, before the countdown to the 10k start. It was a crisp -1 so I was wrapped up head to toe, as opposed to my usual shorts/singlet combo. There were a few brave souls shivering in their shorts as we awaited the start. I did not envy them. The route took in a lap of the car park before heading out to a residential area, and then the 10k turned off on to country roads past corn fields, farms and finally the local high school (with an impressive running track) before heading back to join the 5k route again and finish at the mall. This part of the states is fairly flat so the course was not demanding, however the concrete roads offered no cushioning underfoot.
By the time I got to the finish line, I could not feel my hands and I wondered were my teeth going to shatter with the cold, but I was glad to have taken part in the local event supporting such a good cause. Nessa and Aileac crossed the line not long after, with Ailiac wondering had she accidentally entered the run rather than walk, so fast was Nessa’s walking pace…race walking might be in Nessa’s future! Now bring on the dinner!
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