The 42 runners in Friday’s Tsalteshi Trails Turkey Trot ran a big circle in the rain.
Beginning and ending at the Soldotna Sports Center, 14 runners ran a loop of 10 kilometers, and 28 ran 5K. Both races followed the Unity Trail down Kalifornsky Beach Road. The 5K runners turned around at a point on K-Beach, while the 10K runners continued up K-Beach to turn east on Poppy Lane and follow College Loop Road back down to K-Beach and returning at the Sports Center.
“This is a very friendly course. It’s flat, there aren’t hills,” said race organizer and Tsalteshi board member Jenny Neyman. “Anything with the word ‘trot’ in the name probably isn’t very competitive.”
The temperature was around 40 degrees and a chilly rain fell, cut with intermittent bursts of sunshine. Towards the end of the 10 K race, a faint rainbow appeared.
Formerly a fundraiser for the Tustemena 200 sled dog race, the Turkey Trot’s proceeds now go to the Tsalteshi Trails Association for maintaining its network of ski trails near Skyview Middle School.
“Our maintaince cost, grooming costs depend on what kind of year we have,” Neyman said. “Last year, ironically, though we didn’t have a lot of snow it’s more expensive to keep the trails groomed when we have icy conditions, because it takes a lot of work to keep scratching it up enough to where people can ski.”
Neyman said Tsalteshi’s annual budget ranges between $50,000 to $60,000.
The Tustemena 200 still contributed some volunteers to the race, as did Tsalteshi and the Kenai Watershed forum.
Sean Goff won the men’s 10K with a time of 45 minutes, 28 seconds, while Rena Anderson claimed the win among women in 50:30.
For 10K runner Jeremiah Bergivan, who finished third among the men after running 1 hour, 12 minutes, the weather was the most difficult thing about the race.
“This is my first year running it, but the rain was pretty intense, the wind, coming back down College Loop there,” Bergivan said.
Nonetheless, he said it wasn’t that bad.
“Perfect temperature,” Bergivan said. “Other than getting wet, it was fine.”
In the 5K events, Carl Kincaid won the men’s race in a time of 24:39, while Brooke Satathite was the fastest female in 29:49. John-Paul Dammeyer took the youth race with a time of 28:52.
Reach Ben Boettger at ben.boettger@peninsulaclarion.com
Turkey Trot
Friday
5K Women
1. Brooke Satathite, 29 minutes, 49 seconds; 2. Logan Satathite, 29:58; 3. Regina Theisen, 34:19; 4. Kari Nabinger, 39:19; 5. Sara Bindy, 41:19; 6. Chris Silva, 43:38; 7. Rebecca Han, 44:44; 8. Donna McDonald, 44:45; 9. KatieMae Tallent, 48:04; 10. Angie Kenner, 51:55.
5K Men
1. Carl Kincaid, 24:39; 2. Bill Wood, 25:36; 3. Jeff McDonald, 25:53; 4. Ryan Kapp, 26:00; 5. Bill Larned, 32:00; 6. Ben Nabinger, 39:19; 7. Robert Silva, 43:38.
Youth 5K
1. John-Paul Dammeyer, 28:52; 2. Isabell Dammeyer, 36:02; 3. James Dammeyer, 38:03; 4. Emma-Clare Dammeyer, 38:04; 5. Madison McDonald, 42:33; 6. Jaron Kenner, 43:20; 7. Audrey McDonald, 44:43; 8. Cooper Darling, 47:53; 9. Kalie Kenner, 51:46.
10K Women
1. Rena Anderson, 50:30; 2. Joan Ryan, 50:58; 3. Becca Satathite, 51:18; 4. Haylee Donovan, 52:43; 5. Alyssa Vanek, 56:19; 6. Kate Swaby, 58:01; 7. Katie Evans, 58:45; 8. Maria Sweppy, 1:12:26; 9. Deverie Bergevin, 1:23:40; 10. Kelly Hicks, 1:23:40; 11. Kimberly Tornow, 1:23:40.
10K Men
1. Sean Goff, 45:28; 2. Zack Hicks, 48:29; 3. Jeremiah Bergevin, 1:12:00.
Alyssa Vanek runs in the Tsalteshi Trails Turkey Trot 10-kilometer race on Friday, Nov. 27 near the Soldtona Sports Center.
