Runners in Sunday’s 40th annual Turkey Trot 5K and 10K races in Lincolnwood were greeted by some of the coldest temperatures of the season.
For Chicago couple Nick Diaz, 31, and Karina Lopez, 27, the event marked the 13th one they have finished together. The couple finished the Ditka Dash 5K at Soldier Field the day before, they said.
“We thought it was cold at the Ditka Dash yesterday, but this was one of the coldest race days,” Diaz said. “The cold just makes you run faster—it’s just you against the cold pavement.”
Some Turkey Trot runners like Lopez weren’t keen on being outside with wind chills in the 20’s when the 10K kicked off shortly before 9 a.m. She bundled up in five shirts she wore under her coat and two pairs of socks, she said.
The unofficial race results showed the top three runners in the 5K were 26-year-old Fernando Cervantes of Chicago with a time of 15:49, followed by Brandon Nguyen, 17, of Skokie with a finishing time of 18:25. Chicago resident Jose Lopez, 45, finished the race in third place, a second behind Nguyen with a time of 18:26.
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The 10K unofficial results showed that a trio of Chicago residents took the top three spots. Kristen Smith, 27, finished first with a time of 32:37, followed by Jaime Marcos, Jr., 18, with a time of 35:04 and Brett Winters, 29, finished third at 35:30.
Officials from the Lincolnwood Parks and Recreation Department, which hosted the event, said the official results would be published Monday.
Race sponsor Liberty Bank distributed hand warmers to the crowd of 2,000 participants who Linda Vering of the Lincolnwood Parks and Recreation Department said sold out the 5K and 10K races.
The most common complaints from runners, according to Nathan Hawley, a physical therapist on scene at the race, was tight muscles and difficulty breathing.
“Muscles act the same way in the cold as if you put a rubber band in the freezer—they turn still and it’s not healthy so you have to warm them up,” Hawley said.
To pay homage to the race’s 40th year, touches of the 1970s (the Trot premiered in 1976) were hard to miss. A DJ stationed near a disco ball spun 70s music as runners crossed the finish line and were handed sparkly medals inspired by the era. The first 1,500 runners who showed up received headbands with a plush turkey on top.
While the majority of Turkey Trot participants come from the Chicago area, the race attracted runners from 13 states and three countries this year, including Finland, Israel and the U.K.
All the way from Manchester, England, Nick Plant and Nick Webb decided to extend their business trip in Chicago this week so they could enter the Turkey Trot 10K.
As they made their way across Lincoln Avenue after the race, Plant, who was wearing shorts, admitted he regretted his choice of running wear.
Webb said his face had turned numb by the fourth mile.
“It was great fun,” Webb said. “Everyone in Lincolnwood was so welcoming and people are really lovely here.”
Natalie Hayes is a freelancer.