Hinsdale Man Runs 32nd Turkey Trot

HINSDALE, IL — 68-year-old Hinsdale resident Michael Bremer has an interesting Thanksgiving tradition. This year, Bremer ran his 32nd year of Chicago's annual Turkey Trot. The 40th annual Turkey Trot was held in downtown Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, and runners could either do a 5k or an 8k.

Bremer first ran the race in 1985, when his next door neighbor signed up to run.

"I was a runner in high school, but had not done much since then," Bremer said. "So about a month before the race I started running again."

Bremer said his only goal for that race was to beat his neighbor.

"I huffed and puffed throughout the race," Bremer said, adding that near the end of the race, he finally passed his neighbor. "That small win, [it] always made this one of my favorite races to do.

Bremer said he's kept running throughout his life because it is one of the easiest ways for him to stay fit.

"I typically still finish in the top 15 percent of all runners, which isn’t bad for an old guy," he said, noting the best he's ever done in his age group was a third place finish. "I also feel like running this particular race in the morning justifies the amount of food I can consume that night."

The Turkey Trot is the only race Bremer runs now, although in past years he has run other races, including half-marathons. He enjoys the Turkey Trot as it is special because of the holiday.

Bremer continues to run during his free time, including during any traveling he does. On a recent visit to Paris, he ran along the Seine River.

"It was awesome running among so many historic structures. I don’t get runner’s highs very often anymore where you feel like you are in the zone; but every morning running in Paris, France was totally enjoyable," Bremer said.

He enjoys running when visiting different places, as it's a different way to see the local culture. He has run in several countries, including China, Australia and Togo.

Image via Shutterstock.