Big Crowds Turn out for Herndon Turkey Trot

On Saturday, the Town of Herndon held its annual Turkey Trot 5k, kicking off from the Herndon Community Center.

According to Ann Marie Heiser, Deputy Director of Herndon Parks and Recreation, an estimated 1100 people registered for the event, which she said was a lot more than usual.

Temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s didn’t seem to scare away any runners on Saturday. There were many first-time turkey-trotters this year that came from all over Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland for the event.  

For Michael and Kristina Van Buskirk of Herndon, a race closer to home has more appeal than one in a large city.

“We knew we wanted to do a Turkey Trot, but we didn’t want to have to travel to D.C. to do it,” said Kristina, one of many first-timers.

Others like Meredith Art and her family were Turkey Trot veterans who come every year for exercise and fun.

“It seems [the Turkey Trot] has really grown in popularity,” Art said. “It’s getting bigger every year, I think.”

For the past few years, the Herndon Turkey Trot has been a part of Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe Recycling Program.  All of the proceeds go toward making basketball courts, track fields, playgrounds, floor tiles, new shoes and apparel.

The overall winner of the race this year was 25-year-old Matt Kroetch from Chantilly with a time of 16 minutes and 27 seconds. Joe Lorusso, a 23-year-old from Herndon, finished second with a time of 16 minutes and 53 seconds. The fastest female time was posted by Susanna Sullivan, a 23-year-old from Falls Church who finished 7th overall with a time of 17 minutes and 20 seconds. The second-fastest female time was posted by 24-year-old Cindy Adams of Oakton, who finished 26th overall with a time of 19 minutes and 19 seconds. A full list of the race results can be found here.