Thanksgiving Trot: The Next Generation

Niki Thompson and her son, Tagg, presented the 2022 check for $109,000 to the family of Carter LeBaron..

Under founder Rhonda Torres’ direction, long-time committee members Whitney Harris and Niki Thompson were titled co-chairs of this year’s Marcia Walters Memorial Thanksgiving Trot.

With trot season officially kicked off, the two shared insight into their experiences and roles, and how those have changed over 13 years. After all, both Harris and Thompson were there from the beginning.

“Marsha Walters was a dear friend, she was a huge part of this community,” Thompson said. “She was a school nurse for years and when she was in need, Rhonda rallied the troops and we all showed up for Marsha, and we loved Marsha.”

The trot was supposed to be a one-time thing. Actually, Marsha was the reason the tradition continued. Now 12 races in, the co-chairs and committee have no intention of ever stopping the race.

Whitney Harris, Left, presented the 2019 check for $85,000 to the family of Emma Vidal.

“It was gonna be for Marsha and that was it,” Harris said. “The next year Marsha, working in the schools, knew of Aiden (Malloy, the second Thanksgiving Trot recipient) and she came to Rhonda and said, ‘I want to have another one, we need to keep going.’ The rest is history.”

The trot grew with the community. In its first year, the race had 350 runners and raised $14,000. Last year, almost two thousand racers participated and the check was written for $109,000.

“What's been really cool to see is that even with the new growth, it's just added to our success and people are on board,” Thompson said. “It's just been a reinforcement of everything that this community stands for — they stand for one another and when someone's in need, they show up.”

The Thanksgiving Trot is funded entirely by community sponsors and participants, and all money raised goes toward the year’s recipient.  

“It's a blessing to us to be able to bless these families, even though we're not the ones writing all the checks,” Harris said. “It's a collaborative effort but it blesses us all on Thanksgiving morning to get to see it all come together.”

Registration for this year’s race is now live. The committee added a long-sleeve shirt option, which costs an additional $10 at checkout.

This year’s recipient is Jared Chasteen, a self-employed colon cancer patient.

For more information about the Thanksgiving Trot, visit https://www.aledothanksgivingtrot.com/.