Marathon County United Way Turkey Trot logo
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — One of Wausau’s biggest live events has announced that it will return this fall.
Organizers of the annual Turkey Trot Thanksgiving day fun run and 5K have announced that they will hold an in-person event the morning of November 25th as a fundraiser for the Marathon County Hunger Coalition.
Ben Lee with the United Way of Marathon County says not only does the event give residents something to look forward to as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its end, but it will also help an important cause by stocking local food pantries.
“In 2020 we distributed 3.6 million pounds of food across Marathon County, and we don’t expect much of a change in 2021,” said Lee. “We’re projecting that in Marathon County alone, 22% of kids have some sort of food insecurity issue.”
The hardships brought on by the pandemic only magnified those issues. This makes events like this one even more important because all of the money raised stays local.
“We use 100% of those funds to purchase food for local school and food pantries and other community initiatives that we spearhead out of the Marathon County Hunger Coalition to make sure we can distribute food wisely across [the county].”
The event was held virtually last November during the pandemic. Organizers say they will have a virtual option for this year’s event as well in case someone wants to participate from afar or is not comfortable running in-person. The virtual option also allows those who can’t be in Wausau for the holiday to still support the cause.
“[In 2020] we had quite a few participants who did not live in the community. They were maybe used to traveling home but couldn’t. So I anticipate that people who either don’t feel comfortable yet traveling in November 2021 or just simply can’t travel will still participate.
“It connects them with their hometown, or with their family,” he added.
This year’s race will once again launch from the Eastbay parking lot and will run the same course as previous years.
Registration will open later this summer and run through mid-November. Lee says those interested should follow the event’s Facebook page or the United Way of Marathon County’s website for signup details.
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