By John Harden/sports editor
NE Campus held its sixth annual Turkey Trot a week before Thanksgiving, and directors of the event saw student participation almost double from the previous fall semester.
In previous weeks before the event, organizer Bart Desender said his own personal goal was to reach 125 students, and he was confident in reaching it.
“ We set up fliers all across the campus,” he said. “We probably put out more than 50 fliers.”
For Desender, the Turkey Trot had a successful turnout, and he says it’s the biggest turnout he’s seen since directing the event.
“ We had 85 students sign up last year, and this year we have 158 total,” he said. “So this is pretty huge. We nearly doubled since last time.”
The One Mile Fun Run and the 5K were the two events that made up the Turkey Trot.
The 5K, a competitive race, had students competing against each other for first place and a turkey prize.
Oscar Bravo and Samantha Aguilera were the first-place male and female performers of the 5K.
In the One Mile Fun Run, participants did not necessarily compete against each other.
Instead they estimated how long it would take for them to complete a mile.
The top male and female who came closest to their times won a turkey prize.
The first place female for the One Mile Fun Run was Allison Minnich, and for the men, Riley Trostel and Michael Ray tied for first.
NE student Nellie Lutz finished with a time a little over 33 minutes.
“ That was the longest I’ve went without stopping,” she said. “It felt great. It was good. I like running.”
Many health instructors offered extra credit to all their students who took part in the Turkey Trot.
“ The extra credit was nice, but I was gonna run anyway,” Lutz said. “It was nice outside and a great day for running.”
Students, faculty and staff participating were also encouraged to donate canned goods before starting the run.
The collection of canned goods was given to the North Richland Hills Community Enhancement Food Bank.
“ It’s good that students are donating,” Desender said. “Some are out here for the extra credit, which is nice.
“ But the good thing about the Turkey Trot is that the food we are donating is helping others.”
