Lined up at the start line, the crisp, cold air spurs on the runners. With thoughts of Thanksgiving dinner just around the corner, these students are motivated to have fun while running the race. However, these students aren’t the average group of runners, but rather, they are swimmers With the cold that the Thanksgiving season brings, running the Turkey Trot has become a tradition for the MN. Put on by the Dundee and Memorial Park Neighborhood Association, the 5k is a fundraiser for the Food Bank that takes place on Thanksgiving morning every year.
“My friends and I have done [the Turkey Trot] for years, and when I was trying to find some way to get the swim team active in the community, I thought of this cause,” head swim coach Andy Cunningham said.
Wanting to get the swim team involved in the community, this activity has now become an annual event for MN with between 40 and 50 MN swimmers, family members, and friends participate in this run annually.
“The swim team participates in the run every year because it’s an awesome cause. There is no fee; you just bring a bag of canned food!” sophomore Rachel Holt said.
While giving up their Thanksgiving morning may seem difficult, the swimmers agree that in addition to giving back to the community, the experience is enjoyable because it gives them another opportunity to bond.
“Personally, I feel that I am getting a good workout that isn’t in the pool. Pair that with the fact that I get to do it with all of my friends and teammates? Priceless,” senior Adam De Groodt said.
However, not only does the community benefit from this activity, but running the Turkey Trot has helped the team dynamic as well.
“There’s no recognition for this, but I think that character is extremely important. We talk about academics, respecting each other, and working together all the time. [The Turkey Trot] is a selfless way to apply our swim team,” Cunningham said.
The Turkey Trot has given them just another opportunity to see each other out of the pool and grow righter as a team.
“I don’t really notice a difference in the team whether we are in the pool, or just hanging out. Swimmers are a very tight-knit family. Once you spend time working your butt off at 5:15 morning practices and endless swim meets together, you kind of just stick together,” Holt said.
The Turkey Trot has become a tradition on the swim team. Running together, encouraging each other, and becoming a more unified team all benefit the team in the end.
“Giving to the community is great. Equally, we have a great time as a team and have the rest of the day to enjoy Thanksgiving. Without the team, the run would be quite boring, but swimmers can usually make anything entertaining,” De Groodt said.