Photos by Christine Braceland
FAIR HAVEN – Nearly 200 runners, walkers and holiday revelers showed up Thanksgiving morning for the 9th Annual Fair Haven Turkey Trot. Under clear and sunny skies kids and adults came out to trot, walk their pets, and play some games throughout Fair Haven Fields. Participants could walk or run one or all three laps of the looped course with awards for top finishers.
Many contributed donations to the annual U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots drive, which continues in town for a few more weeks. The crowdsourced hot cocoa and snacks were a hit for all attendees. Some residents even brought visiting family from across the Eastern seaboard, as far as Massachusetts and Maryland, to participate in the event which is produced annually with no cost and no registration fee, making it easy for everyone to participate.
The adult winners of the three-lap course were Sean Bailey coming in at 14:20 and Kristan Dietz at 15:58. In the under 18 category, the winners were Finnley Reid, a Knollwood fifth grader, with a time of 16:39, and Isabella Rodriguez, a Rumson-Fair Haven sophomore who came in at 17:02. Each winner took home a handcrafted Turkey Trot Trophy to proudly display on their Thanksgiving dinner table.
It took a combined effort of a few individuals to stage the community event; next year there will be a race committee formed to handle the growing needs and allow the event to continue to blossom. Fair Haven governing body members and residents worked the aid stations distributing food and beverages.
The annual race and toy drive are supported by dozens of local families with contributions to the event, supplying race essentials and toys for those less fortunate this holiday season. The tradition vaulted to a new level for its participants and took full advantage of the wonderful park setting with sun-drenched fall weather. All the participants and organizers are looking forward to continuing and expanding the tradition in 2023.
The article originally appeared in the December 1 – 7, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
