Davis Turkey Trot

Event & Course Description:
The 2016 Davis Turkey Trot was run the Saturday before Thanksgiving in northern Davis, CA. The 10K course is sort of a figure-8, with the neck of the “8” being a point on Covell Boulevard. The start and finish are near the Civic Center Park field. The 5K course follows the first loop of the 10K course, and then does a very small second loop to return to the finish. The half marathon course adds one large and three small loops to the 10K course.

I was expecting the race to be mostly street, but only 30-35% was street, with the rest being paved pathways through parks in the area, plus a short cement walkway through the Davis High School campus. The course wasn’t bubble-level flat, but close enough to make a weak joke about it. The neighborhoods were older, maybe 1920s or 1930s vintage, well maintained, with lots of very mature maple trees. The park trails were obviously suburban parks, but very pleasant.

Central California weather can vary considerably in mid-late November. In 2016 it was in the mid-upper 40s F, with frequent moderate showers. I wasn’t drenched, but the towel I brought was handy to protect my car upholstery, and having an extra, dry, shirt was good, too.

Organization & Production:
A Change of Pace Foundation’s webpages for the Davis Turkey Trot have very complete information. Registration was easy, and the pre-race email was very helpful. While being somewhat experienced in doing races helps, I’d not been in Davis in decades. The website directions were very helpful in knowing what streets to take and where parking would be available.

The course was well marked, with volunteers posted at points where a runner might easily go astray. There were hugenormous banners marking every mile.

Swag & Goodies: The aid stations had water and sports drink. In the finish area were bottles of chilled water, bananas, bags of Pop Chips, packages of Sports Beans and Jelly Belly jelly beans, and energy bars. All in all, pretty nice.

Bib: Bibs were color-coded for distance: brown background color for the half marathon; green for the 10K; orange for 5K. The green of the 10K bib is dark green at the bottom and fades to chartreuse at the top. Across the top are the race name and year, with an abstract turkey logo. At the bottom are the bib number and distance. All in all, very nice.

T-Shirt: Runners of all distances received a gray long-sleeved tech T-shirt. The front has a logo with a green background color, the race name, year, and turkey, as on the bib, and below that the distances and location. The back has the sponsors’ names and the name of the race organizer.

Finisher’s Medal: Only those doing the half marathon receive a finisher’s medal as part of what they get for their registration fee. People doing the 10K and 5K have the option of buying a participation medal when they register. The 10K and 5K registration fee is lower than is common, and if one pays the extra $5 (in 2016) it brings the fee up to what is common.

I chose to buy the participation medal, and it is very nice. The background metal is silver-colored, very smooth and shiny. In the center, in raised borders and glitter paint is the abstract turkey logo. Around the top, like a banner, is “Davis 2016” in orange letters. At the bottom in stamped metal, is “TURKEY TROT”. The ribbon is black, with “2016 DAVIS TURKEY TROT” and the abstract Turkey on both sides of the ribbon and both sides of a wearer’s neck. I started out thinking it was very nice, but not, “Wow!” It’s quickly growing on me.

My Results & Opinion of the Race:
As its name suggests, A Change of Pace Foundation (ACOP) is a charity foundation, promoting athletics for children and youth. The Davis Turkey Trot is a medium-large race, with over 1750 finishers in the three distances. It also utilizes streets and suburban parks. So I think the pretty basic aid stations and packaged (bananas have their own package, in a sense) goodies are appropriate to what ACOP is trying to do, and the character of the race.

There were two aid stations on the 10K course, at Mile 2, and near Mile 4. When I got to the first aid station, a half hour after the 10K start, the water and sports drink were there, with cups, and had been used, but there were no volunteers. This forced runners to choose between pouring their own water, or skipping the aid station. On the other hand, the second aid station had 5 or 6 volunteers, handing out the water or sports drink, and encouraging runners as they passed. I’ve emailed ACOP regarding the lack of volunteers at Mile 2 aid station. It was raining when I got there, so the volunteers may have sought shelter (a race in Los Gatos on a rainy day earlier this year had many of its volunteers not show up, and those who did went home mid-race when in rained – nobody was at any of their aid stations for most of the race). I’ll update this when I hear from ACOP.

The table where special awards (for a race series) and participation medals were given out was not adequate, space or staff. There was a 3-5 minute (or more?) line when I got there. One person behind me commented to a friend that this table is always not well organized.

I went into this race knowing the course and conditions could be good for an attempt for a PR, so I was pretty aggressive. I may have been affected more than I realize by the weather, or maybe I was too aggressive. Anyway, I was 12 minutes slower than a PR. On the other hand, I didn’t cross the finish line with any energy I should have expended on the course, so I’m happy with my results.

These are areas that could be improved, but far from spoiling an overall really good race experience. This race was my first experience in a race organized by ACOP, and as a whole I was very favorably impressed. From checking out the race online through leaving the parking lot after the race, there were no uncertainties or major frustrations. It’s far enough away from my home that the Davis Turkey Trot wouldn’t be a race I’d do every year, but given the right family circumstances and timing, I’d certainly consider doing it again.