SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- More than 140 runners braved harsh winds during the annual Turkey Trot 2.5-mile run outside the Schriever Fitness Center Nov. 17.
“I was glad the fitness center still put it on despite the conditions,” said 2nd Lt. Veronica Leddy, 50th Civil Engineering Squadron operations engineering chief. “[The wind] made it rough, especially running into the wind up that big hill at the end, but I didn't mind.”
Leddy was one of the first runners to cross the finish line, and the first female to complete the run overall.
“This year, my squadron actually used this race as our P.T.,” Leddy said. “It was really fun being out there with my entire squadron and we actually had three people finish in the top four which was cool- plus I think most, if not all, of us finished with t-shirts.”
Staff Sgt. Christopher Anderson, 50th CES pavements and equipment craftsman, was the first male to cross the finish line at the trot, seemingly undeterred by the winds.
“The weather wasn't optimal with the high winds but they only really affected me near the end when you turned into them by housing,” Anderson said. “The wind may have shaved a couple seconds off my finishing time but it didn't do anything drastic.”
The first three male and female runners to cross the finish line were awarded for their speediness with not only a t-shirt to commemorate the run, but with gift cards ranging from $25 to $75 depending on their placement.
“The fitness center gives great prizes for these races, which is awesome,” Leddy said. “I won a $75 gift card.
“I plan on coupling with my other gift card from the half marathon and hopefully stretching it for five Christmas gifts for my little siblings,” she laughed.
Mark Schuette, 50th Force Support Squadron assistant fitness and sports manager, expressed his happiness with the turnout of the event.
“We used to run it in conjunction with the wing run, it’s been a while since it was just the Turkey Trot, so we were kind of expecting our numbers to be low, and it was windy,” he said. “I was actually pleasantly surprised with how many people showed up, we had 144 people check in and there were a few who couldn’t check in.”
He explained some runners had come barreling past the finish line straight from the street, running late for the initial take off. Schuette was sure the eagerness stemmed from the free t-shirts at the end.
“Some people were disappointed when we ran out,” he said. “People enjoy the t-shirts, some people like the camaraderie, and some people like the competition.”
The top three males were:
15:45, Staff Sgt. Christopher Andrews, 50th Civil Engineering Squadron
16:01, Capt. Matthew Cork, 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron
16:14, Capt. Ryan Combest, 50th Civil Engineering Squadron
The top three females were:
16:25, 2nd Lt. Veronica Leddy, 50th Civil Engineering Squadron
19:10, Bethany Bushhouse, 50th Operations Support Squadron
19:23, Capt. Genelle Martinez, National Space Defense Center