Thousands Participate in Gobble-Gobble 5K

Greg Hall, director of administration for the city of Arnold, said the city’s 5K Gobble-Gobble race was a success this year. Hall said there were approximately 1,070 runners and walkers participating at this year’s event, which took place at on Thanksgiving morning.

The number of runners increased from last year which, due to weather conditions, was at about 850 people.

“It has grown every year,” Hall said. “We are really maxed out and don’t think we can handle many more runners—that’s a great thing.”

The overall female winner was Christine Fisher, a resident of Arnold, who completed the race in 20 minutes and 7 seconds. The overall male winner was Caleb Ford, a St. Louis resident, who finished in 15 minutes and 56 seconds.

Click here for a complete list of all the categories’ winners.

Brian Schoenholz was the official timer of the race. Schoenholz works with Fleet Feet, an area running-apparel company that co-sponsored the event.

Schoenholz said this year’s runners seemed more competitive than in past years.

“We definitely had runners who were really competitive and came really close at the end,” Schoenholz said. “I think we are seeing more people because the course is a really fun one, and it is closed to traffic.”

The official amount of money raised in this year’s event will not be available until next week, Hall said. Part of the proceedings will be donated to the Arnold Food Pantry.

Hall said people from different states and cities came to participate in the event due in part to the charitable aspect of it.

“Runners are conscious people,” Hall said. “I’ve been told they look for races that donate stuff to different organizations, especially during Thanksgiving when it involves the food pantry. With the recession there has been an expanded need for food in food pantries, where they have almost doubled and tripled those they serve.”

Hall said there was one glitch at the start of the race when the chip-timing malfunctioned, which resulted in the use of gun time for the start and chip-times for the finish of the race. Chip-timing systems require a runner to wear a lightweight chip, which identifies them as they cross electronic mats placed on the course. 

“Some of the serious runners were upset about that, because they want the exact timing, but most people did not complain,” Hall said. “Most people realized we were not trying to send someone to the moon. Things like this can happen.”

Schoenholz said a software malfunction caused the chip timing failure.

“We had a computer software upgrade, and it was tested that day and it worked, but at the time of the event it didn’t work,” Schoenholz said. “Overall timing starts are nice for a big race, but not a necessity.”

Hall said he encourages people to participate at next year’s event, but asked they sign up early, as they had to turn down runners who tried to register on the day of the race.

“We are looking at 1,100 runners to be our maximum,” Hall said.