Tri-Valley Turkey Burn's Fortunes Rise with Fair Weather

The fourth annual Tri-Valley Turkey Burn, run on Thanksgiving Day morning will be remembered for a shift in the wind and two crucial changes in the weather that turned possible cancellation into a magical success.

Pleasanton North Rotary (PNR) organizers and City of Pleasanton Park & Recreation Department officials were uncertain as late as Tuesday, Nov. 20, whether the charity 5K/10K family fun run would go on as planned at Pleasanton’s Ken Mercer Sports Park.

The event’s prospects were dimmed literally by nearly two weeks of unhealthy fog that settled into the Amador Valley from the devastating Camp Fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres and 18,000 structures, with the loss of at least 91 lives.

Turkey Burn organizers, PNR members Mark Linsky and Mike Cherman, were encouraged when a westerly wind and series of showers on Nov. 21 cleared away the fog. About 1,200 registered participants came to the park to walk, run or stroll in cool temperatures under a partly sunny sky on Thanksgiving Day.

“Our team was focused on delivering another great Turkey Burn,” said Linsky. “But pre-registrations were down because of all the Spare the Air days. We didn’t know until the time of event itself that it would be a success.”

Despite lower attendance, the 2018 Turkey Burn equaled last year’s charity walk-run, with nearly $20,000 raised from 24 corporate sponsors. Pleasanton North Rotary Foundation will distribute funds in the form of grants to various Tri-Valley youth services and programs in the next year. Turkey Burn participants also donated enough cans and packages of food to fill eight barrels for Tri-Valley Haven. It will distribute these donations to the needy at Asbury United Methodist Church, Livermore, Thursday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 15.

Ron Sutton, chief executive of Accusplit, Inc., a Pleasanton-based pedometer company, founded the Tri-Valley Turkey Burn in 2015 to encourage residents to burn calories with a walk or run before their big Thanksgiving meals. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, many participants wore emblematic Turkey Burn bibs that carried their personal messages describing what they were thankful for.

Service Champion Heating and Air Conditioning distinguished itself as a diamond-level sponsor. Alpha Omega Print & Marketing, Big O Tires, and Green Leaf Capital donated at the platinum-sponsor level. Accusplit and Gina Piper Real Estate were gold-level sponsors. At the silver-level were Association Maintenance Services, Inc., Characterz Cafe & Coffee Roasterz, Fleet Feet Sports, Joya Yoga, Spinal Health Chiropractic, Studio Blue Print & Graphic Solutions, and Viviana Cherman Real Estate. Bronze-level sponsors included Denali Data Systems, Dodger’s Paws Dog Training, Dog Dynasty Doggie Daycare and Boarding, Neighborhood Sports Bar & Kitchen, Pleasanton Garbage Services, and US Cryotherapy. And at the sponsor-level were THE BRICK Fitness Center, California Builder Distributors, Club Sport, Common Development Management, and the Pleasanton Girls Softball League.