8 AM Thanksgiving morning, 75 degrees
and sunny, the perfect weather for a morning run. That's why over
1300 people from 33 states have gathered at the Suntree Country Club
in Suntree, Florida for the annual Turkey Trot 5k & 10k Fun Run &
Walk for the Dr. Brent R. Gooch Memorial Foundation. The race has
been a Thanksgiving tradition in Suntree for the past ten years
thanks to race director Steve Baerst.
Baerst, an aircraft tester for Embraer
Executive Jets and a member of the country club, moved into the area
in 2003. He and his wife had had some experience running 5k's and
10k's. They were invited to attend a Thanksgiving run in Orlando.
Baerst decided to start a local run the following year to make it
more convenient for him and his family to attend. He consolidated a
sponsorship with Running Zone, and organized his fun run with no more
than 70 people registered to run.
The following year Dr. Gooch, a family
friend from the Church of Latter Day Saints, passed away due to
complications with his type 1 diabetes. Gooch
dedicated his life to helping others overcome the effects of
diabetes. Dr. Gooch was an athlete
and avid runner, so Baerst decided that it made sense to dedicate the
run to Dr. Gooch and donate all proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation.
Over the last ten years, the race has
grown immensely, gaining a maximum capacity and multiple sponsors.
Last year the race raised $15,000 in proceeds and has been steadily
increasing every year. Baerst tries to keep cost's as low as possible
so that he can maximize the amount of money donated to the JDRF.
Most of the sponsors and volunteers has come to find the race by word
of mouth.
Baerst has three major goals in mind
for every Turkey Trot: Have a fun community event, promote fitness,
and raise money for the JDRF. Baerst also made the decision to make
registration of children under ten years old free of charge to make
it a more family friendly event. Kevin Christensen, a pilot and
resident of Satellite Beach, has been attending the run with his
family since 2005. He was also a friend of Dr. Gooch.
With the goal of family-friendly activities in mind, all participants are welcome to bring their pets along for the run. Numerous dogs of all breeds and sizes attend the race with their owners. One German Shepard and her handler were running at the 7-minute pace, keeping and even pace with one another.
The race also takes on new
participants as well as new volunteers every year. One such volunteer
is Andraya Barrett, an Air Force Staff Sergeant and trained medic.
She heard about the race from a friend on Patrick Air Force Base
where she is stationed. The race needed medical support on staff and
Barrett, An experienced runner herself, was happy to help. Before the
race, she was handing out shirts that participants receive for
registering.
Some volunteers have been on staff a
lot longer. Bruce Hoppe, a parking attendant, has been working with
Baerst since 2004 on the Turkey Trot. Hoppe loves to see everyone
happy and in the festive spirit. “It's nice to see friends in the
community come to together and all of the people you know and don't
know.” Hoppe plans to continue volunteering every year.
The race is not without its road
blocks. Baerst says that he apologizes to his wife in advance two
weeks before Thanksgiving because he may become terse and snappy when
organizing the event. Baerst has also found that persistence is key
in organizing the event. When he first started looking for road
barriers, he went to the county and asked to borrow some. He was
denied at first, but he just kept asking. Eventually, the county
allowed him to use them, free of charge. This allowed Baerst to
donate more money to the JDRF. He also does no advertising other than
the website suntreeturkeytrot.org where race info is available.
The Running Zone being the main
sponsor sets the markers at the event. The runners are placed by
section depending on how fast they run. Starting with the 6-minute
mile runners at the front. The demographic is sectioned through the
crowd, with the high school cross-country runners at the front and
the elderly walkers at the back. The end of the race is topped off
with a caricature of Dr. Gooch at the finish line.
Baerst says that he will continue
directing the race for the next few years “I want to hit the
15-year mark.” At that point he says he may pass the torch to
someone else, but he definitely would like the tradition to continue
for as long as possible. Though it is a challenge and can be a big
workload, especially in the holiday season, Baerst says that he's
happy with the fact he has found a way to give back to his community
and honor the memory of a man as compassionate and dedicated as Dr.
Gooch.
