A total of 368 people braved near freezing temperatures Thanksgiving Day morning getting in some exercise before consuming their turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie while also helping to raise more than $20,000 for this year’s Williamsburg Police Department Shop with a Cop program.
“That is pretty doggone good,” Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said right after the race start Thursday. “We started this 18 years ago and we had 16 runners. Since then, it has just grown and grown and grown. It is what, 32 degrees and 368 people came out to run. As always for the greatest cause in the world, the kids.”
“All of the credit goes to race organizer Kelsey Mitchell and the group that works this thing. They are up there right now. They have handed out shirts, promoted and done everything. I am just thankful for them. This is a great day.”
Harrison said that when the first race was held 18 years ago, he never thought the race would grow to what it has become today.
“We honestly thought if we got to 100 runners, then it would be a pretty good success,” Harrison said.
He said that prior to the town’s first turkey trot, Linda Reynolds and Tracy Croley came to his office one day and approached him asking if he had ever heard of a turkey trot. He hadn’t. Then they told him what it was and that they wanted to start one.
This year the race saw participants from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois among other states.
“We have families from Williamsburg that have moved away and they come back. I am sure they are getting together for Thanksgiving dinner too, but they come here for the race before dinner. It is just cool,” Harrison said.
Proceeds from the turkey trot help fund the Williamsburg Police Department Shop with a Cop program, which takes less fortunate children on $100 shopping sprees at Walmart each December.
Harrison said that the goal every year is to take at least 150 children shopping. Due to the number of police officers in the police department and other volunteers that help, Harrison said it is difficult to handle a lot more children than this.
“The ultimate goal is to have zero. That means we have helped everybody, and nobody needs help. I don’t know that will ever happen,” Harrison added.
Mitchell said that it is one thing to see Shop with a Cop from the fundraising side of things and then watching the children shop.
Being a second-grade teacher at Whitley Central Primary, Mitchell knows a lot of the children in the Shop with a Cop program each year.
“I know their life stories, and I know their struggles. Just seeing them being able to go and buy the toy that they have always wanted but never could afford. They say, ‘I get to have a Christmas. Oh my gosh!’ That makes every bit of it much more worth it, just seeing the impact and the core memories these kids are making,” she said.
Harrison added that this year marks the 20th year for Shop with a Cop.
In the 19 prior years, over $311,000 has been raised.
This year as of Nov. 24, the race had raised $12,600 in sponsorships and $7,860 in race registrations with 296 runners registered at that point.
There were 327 finishers in Thursday’s race.
Chad Terry was the overall winner and the male winner with a time of 16:30.
Abriella Overholser was the top female finisher with a time of 20:32.
“We will be back next year bigger and better,” Mitchell added.
You can still make tax-deductible donations to the Shop with a Cop program.
Make checks payable to Williamsburg Shop with a Cop and send them to Williamsburg City Hall, Attention: Gina Hamblin, P.O. Box 119, Williamsburg, KY 40769. Those needing a receipt should include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
