This Thanksgiving marked the 50th Annual Run for the Red Feather in Port Washington, an event more commonly known as the Turkey Trot. It is organized by the Community Chest of Port Washington, a non-profit organization that helps fund over 29 local charities, benefiting over 7,000 Port Washington residents. The Turkey Trot is an important fundraising event for the Community Chest, raising tens of thousands of dollars, while also bringing members of the community together across all age levels and backgrounds.
The race is five miles long and takes participants through parts of Port Washington, beginning and ending at Manorhaven Park. This year featured over 3,000 participants—some competing for first place and others leisurely walking with friends and family. Either way, they all showed their dedication to the race by waking up early and fighting through the cold weather.
“It was definitely nice to see a bunch of my friends at the Turkey Trot, including the ones who are now in college and were home for Thanksgiving. The event is very community oriented, and it feels like the entire town is there either to participate or to cheer on everyone involved. It’s a fun and happy tradition that I’ll continue to take part in even when I’m out of high school,” said senior Charlie Paredes.
This year’s overall winner in the male division was 22 year-old William Schimitsch of Little Neck, who finished with an impressive time of 26:51.32, a 5:22 one-mile pace. The first-place runner for the female division was a Schreiber alumni, 20 year-old Lola Gitlin, who crossed the finish line in 30:38.94, a one-mile pace of 6:07.
Schreiber junior Milo Christ placed second in his age group for males and seventh overall in the race. Freshmen George Kahi and Sofia Vinti both placed first in their age groups in the male and female divisions, respectively. Many other Schreiber students and alumni participated in the run.
“The Turkey Trot is definitely not an easy course, even for myself as a member of Schreiber’s cross country team. That being said, I was pretty satisfied with my result. I finished the race in 33:36.45 and placed 49th overall among all runners,” said junior Luke Longaro.
Beyond the runners, the Turkey Trot depends on the work of dozens of volunteers who helped distribute shirts and bibs, many of whom were members of Schreiber’s Key Club. Many Port Washington residents were stationed around the course to hand out water, and at Manorhaven Park, people ran stands distributing fruit, hot chocolate, and bagels for the runners after their hard work. All of the time and effort put in by runners, volunteers, and supporters contribute to the supportive environment that makes the race memorable each year.
“I had such a good time taking part in the Turkey Trot this year. My friends and I did it together, and the amount of people that participate and cheer people on is really nice to see. The event really brings the community together and kicks off the holiday season in a great way,” said junior Nillie Tanlak.