Turkey Trot marks 25th year

By Patrick Newell

Sun Sports Editor

NORWICH – In its silver anniversary year, the Norwich YMCA Turkey Trot has made a concerted change to drive up participation for this Sunday’s race that begins at 12:30 p.m. on North Broad Street.

Steadily declining numbers over the past seven years in the 10-kilometer competition led to the decision to consolidate the event into a five-kilometer-only race that winds through the streets of Norwich, said YMCA Health and Fitness Director, Shannon Gawronski. “This is one of the longest established five-kilometer races, and our hope is to increase the turnout,” she said. “We’re hoping more people will want to run in the 5-K event.”

Another new facet to the race is the addition of two new age categories, a decision warranted to encompass the large number of entries of younger kids as well as older adults. The low end age group was 15-and-under, while the high end was ages 60 and over. Added to the mix are 11-and-under and 70-and-over divisions, Gawronski said.