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Top Trotters

Males

Tyler Cantley 15:03

Jacob Malcomb 15:50

Zac Noel 15:54

Chris Davis 16:10

Mike Hardbarger 16:33

Females

Madison Hill 18:39

Jamie Cokley 18:59

Yvone Gilders 19:00

Heather McDaniell 19:06

Allison Teeter 19:07

PARKERSBURG - About 2,100 runners and walkers Thursday morning participated in the 31st annual Turkey Trot, a race that has become a Thanksgiving Day tradition in Parkersburg.

The race was dedicated this year to Rick Brown, a former member of the River City Runners Club. Brown, 65, of Marietta passed away in October while running in the Detroit Marathon.

Joe Corra, president of the River City Runners Club, said Brown will be missed.

"Rick was a great guy. He was my running buddy," said Corra. "He was at the Turkey Trot every year helping set up for the race, and a lot of his family members are here today. His whole clan is here."

The long-sleeved yellow T-shirts given to participants are printed with the phrase "Running with Rick," a tribute to Brown.

The Turkey Trot has significantly grown in the past five years and officials said this year's race has the biggest field in 30 years. About 1,600 participants pre-registered and another 500 registered the morning of the race.

"Every year it gets bigger and bigger, and now we've got another record-breaking year," said Corra.

Dorsey Cheuvront, a long-time member of the River City Runners Club, helped set up the finish line Thursday morning. He said runners from 24 states registered.

"We've got people here from California, Texas, and pretty much everywhere up and down the east coast," said Cheuvront. "There's even a woman here from Australia. It's an interesting mix."

While some attend the race to compete, many come to socialize and enjoy a tradition with friends and family.

"It's competitive up front with a lot of the college kids, but in the back you've got the families with kids and dogs. I don't think I've seen so many dog walkers today. There had to be around one hundred," Cheuvront said. "At the end of the the race, we always award the winning male and female a turkey, but then we will hand out 50 turkeys randomly to participants after the race. This year we've got 25 frozen turkeys and 25 thawed ones."

Carrie Roe, president of the Humane Society of Parkersburg board, attended the race with her dog, Tag, and Tiger, another dog up for adoption.

"If you're going to go for a walk, you might as well bring the dogs," she said.

Several humane society volunteers walked with dogs up for adoption. This is the 20th year Roe has participated, but the sixth year she has walked with dogs from the humane society.

"It's just a great way to start the day. And you get a guilt-free meal later, because you know you got your workout," Roe said. "Plus, it's just fun. You kind of see everyone you know. It's the thing to do on Thanksgiving morning."

For Alison Duvall, the Turkey Trot is not a competition, but a family tradition that began many years ago.

Duvall came to Parkersburg from Jacksonville, Fla. with her husband and children to spend Thanksgiving with family. This is her 21st participation in the Turkey Trot.

"I started when I was a little girl, and I never miss it. It's become part of our family tradition, and it's part of coming home," she said.

Duvall walked the 3-mile route pushing her 3-year-old daughter Madelyn in a stroller.

The first-place runner was 19-year-old Tyler Cantley, a graduate of Warren High School, with a time of 15 minutes, 3 seconds.

He runs cross country at Ohio University.

"I look forward to this every year," he said. "I always tell people, as long as I'm in town, I'll come out and compete."

Cantley's parents and younger brother cheered him on from the sidelines.

For her first time in the race, Madison Hill, a student at Parkersburg High School, was the first-place female with a time of 18 minutes, 39 seconds.

"This is my first time running the Turkey Trot," she said. "I'm pretty excited about it, and I'm happy with my time."