Turkey Trot a Naperville tradition

Her friends couldn't believe that Jenny Bohac awoke at 4:55 Thanksgiving morning. But it's a holiday associated with giving, and Bohac wanted to do her part. Being late was not an option.

A member of the National Honors Society, the 16-year-old Benet Academy sophomore would join roughly 125 other volunteers from all over the area to help work the Naperville Noon Lions Club 5K Turkey Trot -- an event that raises between $95,000 and $100,000 for local charities annually. They would arrive around 6 a.m. and help runners check in, serve snacks and monitor the course.

Bohac, who experienced the race for the first time, couldn't believe how many other people awoke that early.

"It's overwhelming -- the amount of people that come out on a holiday," Bohac said.

The registration sheet for the race, about 90 pages, decorated an entire gymnasium wall. More than 5,000 people from all over the Chicago area signed up to run the course that took them along down Hillside Avenue, West Street, Naperville-Plainfield Road and Oswego Road. That didn't include the spectators. The event, which began and ended at Naperville Central High School, has been growing in popularity for 10 years.

"It's kind of like a Naperville tradition," said Jessie Sweed, a sophomore at Benet Academy in Lisle who has been running in the race for the past four years. "But it's a crazy thing to do because it's freezing."

With snow falling and the temperature in the low 30s, most runners layered themselves in clothing -- though a few hardcore participants showed up wearing shorts and sweatshirts. The weather rarely deters this crowd.

"I freeze my buns off every year. Once, I think I may have even suffered frostbite," said Sheila Gates, a resident of Bolingbrook and an avid annual spectator. "But I always come back. It's a great way to kick off Thanksgiving."

Plus, it's great exercise for Taffy, Gates' white miniature poodle. The friendly pooch even has an outfit for the occasion.

"That's her Turkey Trot sweater," Gates said. "She wears it every year."

The Lions use proceeds from the race to support a variety of charitable causes, especially those that benefit the vision and hearing-impaired. Some are also allocated for programs aimed at helping youths. Last year, the event netted slightly more than $95,000.