The 19th annual Piedmont Turkey Trot won’t be exactly the same as years past. But Sydney Proctor, one of the event organizers, is hoping to give people a reason to get out of the house just the same.
“It’s a virtual/hybrid event,” Proctor said. “We’re not only having a virtual event. We’re really encouraging families to get out.”
Normally, 3,000 people would be running a set course on Thanksgiving Day. This year, participants are encouraged to register online (click HERE) and then run their own 5K. Registration is $10.
While some might still try the traditional course around Piedmont, it’s not required, according to Proctor.
“People can run any 5K they want,” she said. “If they want to run their 5K at the track you can, if you want to run your 5K around the lake, you can.
“You can do it any way you want but we just want you to get out and have fun.”
More important, organizers are placing “Turkey Trot” signs around Piedmont. Each sign has a sponsors name on it. People are encouraged to find as many signs as they can. Each participant can then upload pictures of the signs they found to the @piedmontturkeytrot Instagram page. Each picture up to 13 gives registered participants one entry into a raffle.
One of the 49, this Turkey Trot sign was easy to spot on Oakland Ave and Highland Ave (J.Reichle) 
Another turkey trot sign seen in a yard on Blair (J.Reichle) 
Separate raffles will be held for kids under 13 and adults. Kids can win gift cards to Village Market. OCHO Chocolates have provided prizes for the kids who upload their signs the quickest. Adult prizes include gift cards to Transports, Piedmont Grocery, Betts Car Wash and J. Miller Flowers.
Proctor said one of the goals this year is to attract more younger runners. Many kids join the middle school and high school programs but the elementary crowd is an untapped resource. Hence, the scavenger hunt.
There are 48 signs around Piedmont, with several in the central area of the city and others spread around town. The signs will come down on November 28 with the raffle held the next day.
Race sponsors are: Piedmont Grocery, Piedmont Post, Highland Partners, Village Market, MB Jesse, Mc Cutcheon Construction, J. Miller Flowers, Dr. Frank Helm, Dr. Gregory Young, DDS, OCHO Chocolates, Ken Betts company and TRANSPORTS.
“2020 is such a weird year,” Proctor said. “We want people to have fun, we want to support our sponsors.”