Thanksgiving Morning in Prospect Park: 2009 Turkey Trot 5M Race

At 8:23 a.m., just one minute late, a surprisingly crowded B-43 bus

stopped on Lorimer Street at the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and got to its terminus at the Prospect Park subway station

in time for us to be in the park to hear the gunshot for the 9:00 a.m. start of the Thanksgiving 2009 Turkey Trot 5M race, run - ahem - by the Prospect Park Track Club.

Hundreds of runners participated, including the one Pilgim and lone Wampanoag we saw scurrying by.

The race, which the PPTC presented with its sponsor JackRabbit, was to benefit the Bishop Ford Track Teams. It was a beautiful late fall morning for a race: not too warm, not really chilly.

We tried to find the start of the race.

This horse wasn't setting the pace.

The Audubon Center is the background.

Our dad used to run in races back when he lived in Brooklyn in the 1970s, but we run only if we're being chased.

Ocean Avenue is in the background at this spot.

On the sidelines, we encouraged and cheered the runners. Santa Claus kept shouting, "Way to go!"

We didn't see the end of the race, but we did watch the runners with their medals coming to the Oriental Pavilion.

They all looked pretty happy about finishing at whatever time they did.

Some stopped to stretch.

At the Oriental Pavilion, they were rewarded with bagels, apples and drinks.


Many eventually returned to their cars in the parking lot of the Wollman Rink, which was to be our next stop.