YMCA Turkey Trot

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YMCA Turkey Trot (© loc)

Plaque name: YMCA Turkey Trot

 

Location: YMCA Buffalo Niagara 301 Cayuga Road SUITE 100 Buffalo , NY 14305

 

Plaque awarded: 03/10/2020

 

Reason: Plaque Category - Competition

In 1896, Henry A. Allison was among six runners competing in what was originally a five mile cross country race that stretched along routes that have long since been reconstructed in the downtown Buffalo, New York area. Little did Allison know he would become the first winner of the YMCA Turkey Trot, a race that would long outlive him. In those early days, runners paced along rugged dirt roads. It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that the race was run on pavement.

The Turkey Trot is now a 8k footrace which attracts serious runners, amateurs, and team competitors alike, and traditionally begins on Delaware Avenue, and continues into downtown Buffalo.

Women did not actually join the field of runners until 1972. The 100th anniversary of the race, held in 1995, saw a record 6,003 runners registered and 5,480 cross the finish line. The participant field crossed the 10,000 threshold in 2008 and continued to steadily grow, capping out at 14,000 for the past several years.

Heritage Plaque Location

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Heritage Plaque Location

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