Benn Witt
It only makes sense to get moving on Thanksgiving, before you eat yourself into a stupor.
The national holiday traditionally dedicated to gluttony is upon us. So is the national holiday tradition of going on a pre-feast run to burn off a few calories and support a good cause or two.
The granddaddy of Thanksgiving Day runs in Madison is the Berbee Derby, now in its 12th year. But there are two other options, including a brand-new race.
The inaugural Madison Turkey Trot at Vilas Park is a 5K run/walk/roll that supports United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County.
“We don’t believe there can be too many options when promoting good causes, community and physical fitness,” says Colin Pekovitch of Chicago-based All Community Events, which is planning the Madison Turkey Trot. “All [three of] these events can co-exist because they raise funds for different causes, and because Madison has such a great running community.”
Pekovitch isn’t sure how many participants to expect. “With this being the inaugural event, we’re just hoping for a good turnout,” he says.
The race begins at 9 a.m. on the Lake Wingra side of the zoo. The cost is $37 per person (pre-registration through turkeytrotmadison.com; deadline is Nov. 23, but last-minute registrations on-site can still happen from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.) Racers get a hoodie and a big gooey cinnamon roll.
Over on the east side at Droster Park, 1429 Droster Rd., the Elvehjem Neighborhood Association’s sixth annual Turkey Trot offers a 5K run and two-mile walk that begins at 8:30 a.m. (onsite registration closes at 8:15 a.m., but pre-register via the website at elvehjemneighborhood.org).
Technically, the event is free, but a $5 donation to offset expenses is suggested, as is a nonperishable food item that will be donated to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.
While the Berbee Derby counted 6,700 participants last year, the Elvehjem Neighborhood’s Turkey Trot doesn’t attract anywhere near that many. And that’s just fine with Tiffani Roltgen, a member of the neighborhood committee that organizes the event.
“From a race-management standpoint, 100 participants is the sweet spot for us” she says. “We aren’t looking to host an event for 1,000 people, but rather offer a friendly neighborhood option that entire families can afford to do together on the holiday. The course is challenging, with several hills and often a few icy spots, courtesy of Mother Nature.”
The Elvehjem event was established in 2010 to offer a far-east-side race option on Thanksgiving morning. “It’s a way to promote a healthy start to the day without the more extensive time commitment required at some of the area events,” Roltgen adds. “You can arrive at our race at 8 a.m., easily find parking and be on your way to Thanksgiving festivities by 9:15 a.m. — depending on how fast you run.”
Madison native Jim Berbee — founder of Berbee Information Networks Corp. in Fitchburg (now owned by CDW) — determined that Madison needed a turkey trot after reading an article about their popularity in The Wall Street Journal. He and then-CEO Paul Shain established the Technology Education Foundation to provide grant opportunities for schools and nonprofit organizations in Dane County, with the idea that the race fees would fund it.
The first Berbee Derby was held in 2004; since then, more than $482,000 in grants have been awarded to the community, according to Jessica Benson. She ran her first Berbee Derby in 2010 and has been the race director since 2014.
Additionally, an endowment contains more than $550,000 and is used to fund gifts to the community in perpetuity.
This year, 17 grants totaling $83,769 will go to local organizations as diverse as the Urban League of Greater Madison, the DeForest Area Public Library, Brooklyn Elementary School and the Catholic Multicultural Center.
“The focus of the [grants] is to help create a technology-savvy community through yearly grants that encourage exploration of new technology boundaries,” Benson says.
Founder Jim Berbee is now a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UW School of Medicine & Public Health but still helps organize the Berbee Derby. (The event operates as a separate entity, with CDW the presenting sponsor.)
With 10K and 5K options, the event is held at CDW headquarters, 5520 Research Park Dr., in Fitchburg. Even now, 100% of all proceeds go to the Technology Education Foundation. The registration fee is $35/person; day-of registration is closed. Online registration is still available through berbeederby.com. The first wave of runners takes off at 9 a.m.
Regardless of which event you choose to participate in Thanksgiving morning, it could be the start of a new family tradition. “We know that family on Thanksgiving is important,” says Benson of the Berbee Derby. “I can show my kids what it means to be part of a community.”
