Thanksgiving Highlight: HES Faculty members take part in 2019 Raleigh Turkey Trot
The 2019 Turkey Trot @ Ridgewood was the 10th annual 8K for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that took place on Thanksgiving Day, where our amazing HES staff dominated!
Among the 3000+ registered runners and walkers at 8:30 in the morning were Peter Koutroumpis, Joy Kagendo, Peggy Domingue, and Renee Harrington. “This was my fifth consecutive Turkey Trot, a tradition my wife and I have continued each year with friends to do something active and fun together during the holiday break. It also makes me appreciate sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner even more so later in the day,” says Koutroumpis. Kagendo explains she decided to participate in the race to support her friend who has MS. The staff all agreed they felt the race was a great way to spend the holidays, letting them unite under a common purpose.
This year’s race was not the first Turkey Trot for Domingue and Harrington. This was Domingue’s second Turkey Trot and Harrington’s second consecutive Turkey Trot. “Last year I realized that the very first race I ever ran was a Turkey Trot when I was 16, so that inspired me to run this race last year. I enjoyed the race so much last year that I wanted to run it again,” notes Harrington, highlighting the importance of a lifelong commitment to fitness.
The staff prepared by running other races, running through the course prior to the race, and maintaining current fitness levels. For some of the staff, this race was a way to maintain physical fitness during their routine training. “Teaching my Fitness Walking classes, among others as well as regular exercise, conditioning and flexibility training allows me to maintain adequate cardio-respiratory and muscular endurance to complete the short-distance races I participate in. I also completed a 10K race in late October and a 5K race in September, so this just fit in as another event to complete the Fall schedule for me,” notes Koutroumpis.
The HES staff made some amazing memories during the race. Harrington notes her excitement when she finished 2nd in her age group. Kagendo finished 9th in her age group, and expresses how rewarding it was to participate in this race. Similarly, Domingue states, “It is really about the friends that come together to enjoy a physical activity that is just as fun as challenging”.
Our amazing staff hope to inspire their classes, and we want to continue to highlight their amazing commitment to health and fitness.
