I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Yesterday presented New England with a cold and crisp Thanksgiving Day with some parts of Massachusetts receiving several inches of snow and icy conditions. The South Shore received merely a dusting that coated the grass but heavy rains led to some slick streets and black ice on corners. Yesterday morning, I made my way to Oliver Ames High School located in Easton, Massachusetts for the Tiger Turkey Chase to ensure prior to Operation Eat as Much Food as Possible I actually was able to get some caloric burn in.

The Tiger Turkey Chase is a 5 mile run and the cold temperatures didn’t keep any runners away as the crowd was an impressive showing for Thanksgiving morning. The race started right at 8AM and at race time most of the black ice had meted as the sun just started to warm things up a little bit but some crosswalks and corners still needed a bit of care taken when crossing over them.

The course for the Tiger Turkey Chase starts and finishes at Oliver Ames High School and makes its way through the neighborhoods abutting the school. The course was quite noticeably hilly with what seemed to be most of the hills going in the upward direction than downward. Right at the 4.5 mile mark there is a dramatically sharp incline as you make your way back into the school grounds that as you make your way up only makes you realize how much better that pumpkin pie is going to taste later on in the day.

The race course was nicely staffed by high school students and other volunteers keeping each turn marked and ensuring runners were kept safe. A water stop was available at the midway point.

Making my way into the finish line, a nice crowd of supporters was at the finish line cheering each runner into the chute and adding to the race atmosphere. I finished the Tiger Turkey Chase with a time of 38:48, good for 7:46/miles. The race was a great way to kick off a nice Thanksgiving and is one I would gladly recommend for future years.

The Tiger Turkey Chase benefits the Oliver Ames High School Cross Country teams.