Turkey Day Dashers race in the rain
This past Thanksgiving Thursday was the 15th Annual Turkey Day Dash held at California Lutheran University. Including a 5K, 1K, and a costume contest, the race raises money for the Conejo Valley YMCA’s youth and senior programs.
Senior Director of membership at the YMCA, Allison Wilson, loves her longtime job of being the Race Director for the Turkey Day Dash, even with the early start times. “We arrive to setup at about 4:30 in the morning,” Wilson said. “The kids race is a one mile race that begins at 7:30, and the 5K race begins at 8:00.”
This year’s race made history as the first time in 15 years that the runners raced in the rain. “We had over 2,000 runners,” explained Wilson. “It was so inspiring to see so many people brave the rain, to support both our Conejo Valley YMCA, but also their community.”
The Turkey Day Dash serves as an annual fundraiser for the YMCA. “The money raised from the TDD is used to give scholarships to people needing financial assistance,” said Wilson. Activities like their Safety Around Water program and Youth and Government would not be possible without this event.
An officer in the YMCA’s Youth and Government program, Jolie Mehner, sophomore, spent the day with her club volunteering. “I was there from 6:30am to 10am,” Mehner said. “We like to do stuff for the YMCA since they run our organization.”
Although this Turkey Dash was her first experience with the annual event, there was never a quiet moment as a volunteer. “I was just helping out where I could. I helped set up things, helped out with the kids race, and handed out applesauce to the runners after they finished the race,” Mehner said. “The YMCA always has really nice people volunteering and it sets up great events.”
Fellow Youth and Government member, Morgan Ashamalla, junior, also spent the morning volunteering for the Turkey Day Dash. “Our delegation asked for volunteers to help make pancakes for the runners,” said Ashamalla. “We ended up just supervising and handing out snacks and medals to the runners and I personally supervised the children’s race making sure nobody slipped and fell in the rain.”
Arriving at 6:30 a.m. and staying until 9:30 a.m., this was Ashamalla’s first year as well. “I would totally do it again,” she said. “The people were super nice and it was a cool hangout with my friends. The environment is super fun and relaxed.”
Despite the unexpected rain and freezing temperatures, Turkey Day Dash 2019 was full of grinning faces and glowing smiles. “Everyone is just there to have a good time and support the YMCA,” said Ashamalla.
