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History of the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot:
1979 marked the planning of a local, long - standing traditions, taking over for the previous Gardner Knights of Columbus road race, which had been held on Veterans Day in year’s past.
Thanksgiving Day 1980 kicked off the first annual Gardner-to-Baldwinville Turkey Trot road race.
That first official race attracted only a handful of runners, most of them present and former members of the Narragansett cross-country team, Top finishers were awarded turkeys as a prize,
and coaches & community family members made homemade pumpkin pies to give out as awards to participants as well.
Over the years Red Apple Farm continues the pie tradition by donating fresh apple pies to overall winners.
American Legion donates the use of the Baldwinville hall for award ceremony.
City of Gardner donates the city hall for bib pick-up / registration as well as its many departments pinch in GDPW, GPD, GFD.
It takes one city "Gardner" and one town like "Templeton" that turns on the electricity at the finish line and their Departments TW&LD, TDPW, TPD, TFD and lot of volunteers to make the Turkey trot a historical tradition.
The race is still held to benefit both the Gardner High/ Middle School and Narragansett Regional High School cross-country and track teams.
Over the years, the numbers increased to an all-time high of 459 participants in 2015.
Eventually, the brisk walker category was also added with more than 100 participants. For a brief time in the early 1980s, the United Way took over the race and it was held on a course beginning at Mount Wachusett Community College.
During that span in 1983, former Gardner High cross-country star Rick Doiron recorded the fastest time in 24:18. However, that course was a bit shorter than the present one that is run, beginning at the rear of Gardner City Hall Annex on Knowlton Street.
The route then proceeds into Lafayette Square, down West Street on Route 68 and into Baldwinville, ending at the American Legion post.
In 1995, the race route was reversed from Baldwinville to Gardner with Tim Blouin capturing that, running with a time of 25:50. It was one of five such Turkey Trots won by Blouin, the race’s all-time male leader. Later the race was put back to Gardner to Baldwinville. The Former Narragansett harrier Brad Schlapak is second among most championships of the Turkey Trot with four. Sean Duncan and Scott Leslie have won three each. The race also has a Father son winners decades apart Father Narragansett harrier Rich Marion won twice 1993, 1996 his son Hunter Marion won 2019.
On the women’s side, Amanda (Dahlberg) Kourtz who has won a total of nine races, including seven straight from 2006-2012. Jessica Anderson was a three-time winner from 2013-15.
We now have a Two-time winner Lisa Marois 2019,2020, will we see three from Lisa for 2021.
In the Gardner-to-Baldwinville race, Duncan has recorded the fastest time with a 24:25 in 2011.
Kourtz also owns the women’s race record with a time of 28:42, set in 2009.
The local running group G-Vegas Striders took over the race in 2014-2019.
They added the bus transporting runners’ bags to the finish line, as well as taking runners back to the start end of race. Wilson Bus still donates the bus each year to continues this tradition.
They also added Table Talk pie as a sponsor who donates mixed flavors of small pies that are given out at bib pick-up. The Striders during the time the city of Gardner was painting the start line for Octoberfest chair race on West St. They asked if they could paint an official start line as well for the Greater Gardner Turkey trot on the road on Knowlton St. as part of the cross walk area.
These days the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot 5 mile race continues to starts at Knowlton St, turns left onto Pleasant St., Front of Gardner City hall building & post office.
It goes straight turns left onto Parker St.
Continues down West St. and follows through Route 68 into Baldwinville MA
The Finish line is just in front of the American Legion on Central St. Baldwinville MA.
(The town of Templeton MA. comprises of four main villages: Templeton Center, East Templeton, Baldwinville, and Otter River. Narragansett Regional High School, serving the towns of Templeton and Phillipston MA.)
After many years of volunteering "GHS cross country booster club" a 501(c) 3 public charity voted September 2019 to take over the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot. We then transitioned during that fall 2019 by working closely with G-Vegas Striders to take over the turkey trot race.
In 2020 during the pandemic we creativity & proudly kept this tradition going.
The booster clubs mission is to continue this wonderful historical tradition working along side with the Narragansett XC/TF family and local sponsors, departments and community members from both Templeton & Gardner.
*Anyone who has more historical info, photos, etc. of G.G.T.T.
please email us the info at Greatergardnerturkeytrot@gmail.com
Info sources by GHS cross country booster club, G-Vegas Striders, Mike Richard 2018 article, The 39th Greater Gardner Turkey Trot.
**See the bottom of this page for Overall first place runners over the years of the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot
1979 marked the planning of a local, long - standing traditions, taking over for the previous Gardner Knights of Columbus road race, which had been held on Veterans Day in year’s past.
Thanksgiving Day 1980 kicked off the first annual Gardner-to-Baldwinville Turkey Trot road race.
That first official race attracted only a handful of runners, most of them present and former members of the Narragansett cross-country team, Top finishers were awarded turkeys as a prize,
and coaches & community family members made homemade pumpkin pies to give out as awards to participants as well.
Over the years Red Apple Farm continues the pie tradition by donating fresh apple pies to overall winners.
American Legion donates the use of the Baldwinville hall for award ceremony.
City of Gardner donates the city hall for bib pick-up / registration as well as its many departments pinch in GDPW, GPD, GFD.
It takes one city "Gardner" and one town like "Templeton" that turns on the electricity at the finish line and their Departments TW&LD, TDPW, TPD, TFD and lot of volunteers to make the Turkey trot a historical tradition.
The race is still held to benefit both the Gardner High/ Middle School and Narragansett Regional High School cross-country and track teams.
Over the years, the numbers increased to an all-time high of 459 participants in 2015.
Eventually, the brisk walker category was also added with more than 100 participants. For a brief time in the early 1980s, the United Way took over the race and it was held on a course beginning at Mount Wachusett Community College.
During that span in 1983, former Gardner High cross-country star Rick Doiron recorded the fastest time in 24:18. However, that course was a bit shorter than the present one that is run, beginning at the rear of Gardner City Hall Annex on Knowlton Street.
The route then proceeds into Lafayette Square, down West Street on Route 68 and into Baldwinville, ending at the American Legion post.
In 1995, the race route was reversed from Baldwinville to Gardner with Tim Blouin capturing that, running with a time of 25:50. It was one of five such Turkey Trots won by Blouin, the race’s all-time male leader. Later the race was put back to Gardner to Baldwinville. The Former Narragansett harrier Brad Schlapak is second among most championships of the Turkey Trot with four. Sean Duncan and Scott Leslie have won three each. The race also has a Father son winners decades apart Father Narragansett harrier Rich Marion won twice 1993, 1996 his son Hunter Marion won 2019.
On the women’s side, Amanda (Dahlberg) Kourtz who has won a total of nine races, including seven straight from 2006-2012. Jessica Anderson was a three-time winner from 2013-15.
We now have a Two-time winner Lisa Marois 2019,2020, will we see three from Lisa for 2021.
In the Gardner-to-Baldwinville race, Duncan has recorded the fastest time with a 24:25 in 2011.
Kourtz also owns the women’s race record with a time of 28:42, set in 2009.
The local running group G-Vegas Striders took over the race in 2014-2019.
They added the bus transporting runners’ bags to the finish line, as well as taking runners back to the start end of race. Wilson Bus still donates the bus each year to continues this tradition.
They also added Table Talk pie as a sponsor who donates mixed flavors of small pies that are given out at bib pick-up. The Striders during the time the city of Gardner was painting the start line for Octoberfest chair race on West St. They asked if they could paint an official start line as well for the Greater Gardner Turkey trot on the road on Knowlton St. as part of the cross walk area.
These days the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot 5 mile race continues to starts at Knowlton St, turns left onto Pleasant St., Front of Gardner City hall building & post office.
It goes straight turns left onto Parker St.
Continues down West St. and follows through Route 68 into Baldwinville MA
The Finish line is just in front of the American Legion on Central St. Baldwinville MA.
(The town of Templeton MA. comprises of four main villages: Templeton Center, East Templeton, Baldwinville, and Otter River. Narragansett Regional High School, serving the towns of Templeton and Phillipston MA.)
After many years of volunteering "GHS cross country booster club" a 501(c) 3 public charity voted September 2019 to take over the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot. We then transitioned during that fall 2019 by working closely with G-Vegas Striders to take over the turkey trot race.
In 2020 during the pandemic we creativity & proudly kept this tradition going.
The booster clubs mission is to continue this wonderful historical tradition working along side with the Narragansett XC/TF family and local sponsors, departments and community members from both Templeton & Gardner.
*Anyone who has more historical info, photos, etc. of G.G.T.T.
please email us the info at Greatergardnerturkeytrot@gmail.com
Info sources by GHS cross country booster club, G-Vegas Striders, Mike Richard 2018 article, The 39th Greater Gardner Turkey Trot.
**See the bottom of this page for Overall first place runners over the years of the Greater Gardner Turkey Trot
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