Thousands of Runners and Walkers Trotted For A Cause on Thanksgiving Morning at the 12th Annual Turkey Trot Los Angeles 

17 Dec  Thousands of Runners and Walkers Trotted For A Cause on Thanksgiving Morning at the 12th Annual Turkey Trot Los Angeles 

The 12th annual Turkey Trot Los Angeles returned to Downtown Los Angeles on Thanksgiving morning. Approximately 6,500 runners and walkers dressed as Thanksgiving turkeys, pilgrims, and pies, raised an incredible $75,000 for those experiencing homelessness for The Midnight Mission. The Turkey Day charity run has become a holiday tradition for many Angelenos to help raise money for those in need. Participants went from the historic Los Angeles City Hall around Grand Park, past the world-famous Disney Concert Hall, the Broad Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and down historic Spring Street. Four races in all took place this morning: 5k, 10k, the one-mile Widdle Wobble for kids ages 2-12 (with mom or dad in tow), as well as the inaugural Dog Jog. 

Funds raised will help remove obstacles to self-sufficiency and provide the accountability and structure that people who are experiencing homelessness need to rejoin their communities. Participants will be encouraged to create their own fundraising teams and prizes will be awarded to incentivize fundraising efforts. 

This year’s first-place male winner for the 10k was Ricardo Figueroa from Carson, CA whose time was 35:18 at a pace of 5:41 and the first-place female winner for the 10k was Irene Abfalterer from Santa Cruz, CA whose time was 40:13 at a pace of 6:29. The male first-place winner of the 5k was Juan Paredes from Los Angeles, CA who completed the course in 14:45 with a pace of 4:45 and female first-place winner of the 5k was Clara Ortiz from Orange, CA whose time was 17:30 with a pace of 5:38. All first-place winners received a unique finisher medal. For a complete list of results, go to http://turkeytrot.la/results.

“We are grateful to bring the Turkey Trot LA back for all Angelenos to join as friends and partners, on a personal, civic and global level,” said Generic Events Co-Founder Brennan Lindner. “All runners, walkers, and fans experienced an amazing community event and had a direct impact on the continued epidemic of homelessness in Los Angeles.” 

“We are beyond thrilled with the fundraising efforts of this year’s Turkey Trot,” said David Prentice, President & CEO of The Midnight Mission. “The Midnight Mission helps people regain self-sufficiency and combat the issues surrounding homelessness. Gratitude in action helps create bridges to significant transformation. We are honored to align with these extraordinary groups to raise awareness for people living on our streets who are hungry and without a home.”

Turkey Trot LA also featured the Widdle Wobble” (ages 2-12), a fun half-mile run around Grand Park. Participants enjoyed memorable photo opportunities with the 20-foot tall turkey in front of the City Hall finish line. In addition, all participants who donated more than $25 received a pair of Bombas socks. Bombas also donated over 4,000 pairs of socks to The Midnight Mission.

Turkey Trot LA is committed to being eco-friendly and partnered with eco-friendly companies such as Liquid Death (water in aluminum cans) to create a sustainable event expo, omitting as much plastic as possible by providing aluminum canned water at the finish line, eco-friendly drinking cups along the course, and recycling stations for the aluminum cans at the finish line.

For more information, please go to www.turkeytrot.la.

About The Midnight Mission

Founded in 1914, The Midnight Mission offers paths to self-sufficiency to individuals and families who have lost direction. Our emergency services and 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education and workforce development programs offer a compassionate bridge to achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives. We remove obstacles and provide the accountability and structure that people experiencing homelessness need to be productive in their communities. Our conviction and commitment to their success define us. For additional information, please visit www.midnightmission.org