The Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving morning tradition for many Austinites, including Bill and me. ThunderCloud Subs began this event 25 years ago and remains the primary sponsor. Over the years, more than $2.5M has been raised to benefit local non-profit Caritas of Austin.

Over 20,000 runners and walkers were expected this year, but I suspect the threat of rain scared away some people. The temperature was around 70°. That’s a little warm for running five miles—and very warm if you are also wearing a turkey or pilgrim costume.

Well, that weather forecast turned out to be more than a threat. The skies over South Austin were cloudy when Bill and I headed out to line up on the First Street Bridge. Our north-facing city view on the bridge looked optimistically brighter:

But the dark clouds moved in quickly, and rain was falling by the 9:30 AM start time. A light drizzle followed us for the first mile up Lavaca Street. By the time we reached the hills on West Enfield, the rain had mostly stopped, so the downhills weren’t too slippery.

The course went south on the Mopac northbound service road, then east along Cesar Chavez and back to the First Street Bridge. Due to the weather, no bands were playing along the route, and there were very few spectators. After the race, we lingered at Auditorium Shores just a little too long and were caught in a downpour while walking back to our apartment. At least we were close to home and not out on the race course.

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