ROCKPORT — “This is our biggest turnout yet,” said race coordinator Phoebe Carlson. 

The Penobscot Bay YMCA last conducted its annual Turkey Trot 5K in 2019, welcoming 243 participants to the starting line. This year, Nov. 25, 2022, after a two year hiatus, 266 pairs of sneakers ran or walked the course from Camden’s Limerock Street, looping along Rockport’s Russell Avenue and making almost a full circle back to the Y on Union Street.

“It’s been away for a couple of years, so it’s really exciting,” said YMCA Board president Sherry Craig. 

Included in the 266 were approximately 15 people who signed up on the morning of the race, enjoying a relatively warm 37 degree morning, before scooting inside ahead of a coming drizzle to enjoy a pancake breakfast benefitting the Sailfish swim team.  

This is the first year that Carlson has coordinated the race, albeit, with help from others who’ve done it before. Volunteers helped direct runners at road turns as well as at the finish line. 

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com