Before you eat turkey, do the trot
For each of the past nine years, Bill Cornish has risen early on Thanksgiving morning, laced up his running shoes and competed in the Naperville Noon Lions Club 5K Turkey Trot.
This year, he plans to stick to a tradition he helped initiate and run the race for the 10th time.
"I've run them all," said Cornish, a Noon Lions member who said he's been a habitual runner since the 1970s.
He'll be joined on the course, which begins and ends at Naperville Central High School, by his wife, Rebecca; their 9-year-old son, Will; and their 11-year-old daughter, Chris.
Several of his Naperville neighbors and their families also will be racing, he said.
They'll likely be joined by more than 5,000 other competitors in the rousing, pre-Thanksgiving dinner calorie burn.
"We're expecting 5,500 runners," race director Bill McManus said. "Last year we had just shy of 5,200 sign up. The number goes up every year."
Not only does an increasing number of entrants indicate the race is growing in popularity, it also means the charities the Lions support will receive more help.
McManus said the club supports efforts to address problems such as vision and hearing loss and diabetes. Funds also are allocated for programs aimed at helping youth, he said.
"As an example, we supplied vision testing, eyeglasses and hearing testing for over 200 (families this year)," McManus said.
"We work with districts 203 and 204, with the school nurses. We support the after-school programs for the Heritage YMCA. Our goal this year is to raise $100,000."
He said last year's race netted slightly more than $95,000.
Roughly 125 volunteers will help with race day check-in, serving snacks and monitoring the course, which takes runners along a loop that includes Hillside Avenue, West Street, Naperville-Plainfield Road and Oswego Road.
Cornish, who turned 50 this year, said he and his family plan to walk to the chip-timed race from their home a few blocks away.
"The weather has really varied. There were a couple of years where it was very windy and very cold. This time of year, it really does vary," he said.
Cornish said he's ready to go, even if Mother Nature dishes out an icy, snowy storm like the one that covered the landscape with a frosty sheen the night before Thanksgiving 2004.
"You get a good run in early, then you can go relax the rest of the day," he said.
"Our slogan is, 'Run fast, eat later, no penalty,' " McManus said.
If you go
What: 10th Annual 5K Turkey Trot
Who: Sponsored by Naperville Noon Lions Club
When: 8 a.m. Thursday; race-day registration is from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
Where: Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville
Cost: $35 for race-day registration
Info: (630) 364-3922 or www.napervilleturkeytrot.com