As of Oct. 30, permit not yet approved for Main Street-based race
Something new is coming to Old Town Seal Beach the weekend before Thanksgiving.
The Seal Beach Turkey Trot is planning its inaugural event for Saturday, Nov. 23 and organizers are calling it “a family-fun event that creates new traditions.”
“Our vision is to kick off Thanksgiving week,” Stever Rapp, a third-generation Seal Beach resident and organizer of the race said during a presentation at the Oct. 14 Seal Beach City Council meeting.
The event has four races: a “Don’t be a Turkey” Trot 1K for children, a 5K Run and Walk, a 10K Run and Walk and a 5K Gym Challenge that features five stations along the route with progressively difficult workouts involving push-ups, burpees, and more. All finishers will receive an award, Rapp said.
Rapp said the goal is to have 1,500 participants and predicts up to 2,000 spectators could attend. He teamed up with professional race organizer Jason Bruton and his company, A Running Legacy, LLC, for the event and it will raise funds for two local nonprofits.
The organizers have been meeting with city officials for more than a year to work out details of the event. As of Oct. 30, the permit for the race had not been issued, according to City of Seal Beach Recreation Manager Tim Kelsey. Kelsey recently said a public notice regarding the race was printed in The Sun during the summer. He said that the city would not be re-issuing the notice, but the city was still accepting comments from the publlic on the Turkey Trot permit application. Kelsey’s email is tkelsey@sealbeachca.gov.
Race to start and end on Main Street
A unique feature of the Turkey Trot is that it will start and finish on Main Street.
“My main reason — I love Main Street. I’ve been there my whole life,” Rapp said when speaking about why he chose to include Old Town’s commercial hub on the course.
The race is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. The course covers all of Ocean Avenue, parts of First Street, Marina Avenue and a small portion of Electric Avenue. (See map at RunforTurkey.com).
Rapp anticipates street closures will last from 5 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and said they would be “minimal” because of the route.
“The goal is to get Main Street back open as quickly as possible,” Rapp said. Organizers plan to hire Montebello-based JCL Traffic to handle all planning, equipment set up and break down, for traffic control for the Turkey Trot race, according to the application for the race submitted to the city.
Rapp said the restaurants on Main Street will benefit as they do during Run Seal Beach, the annual race which takes place in the spring. “We feel [the Turkey Trot] will support the businesses that are there. It’s a great visibility point for them,” Rapp told council members at the Oct. 14 meeting.
Rapp added that he will work with any business feeling “distressed during the race.” For example, if a salon client can’t get to an appointment, Rapp said they could provide an UBER to help out.
“I think it’s going to be huge,” said Susan Ariano, general amanager of Hennessey’s Tavern, the race’s official restaurant sponsor. In an interview earlier this month, Ariano said she partnered with the Turkey Trot as a way to give back to the community. But she hopes it will also attract new people to the area and bring excitement to town. “I hope it brings a lot of business for all of us,” Ariano said.
Race to raise money for local nonprofits
The race will raise money for two local nonprofits, Project SEEK and Grateful Hearts.
Project SEEK is made up of parent volunteers and funds three credentialed teachers at Seal Beach’s only public school, J.H. McGaugh Elementary. It supports instruction in the school’s art, technology and media programs.
Rapp has a personal connection to Project SEEK. One of his children still attends McGaugh, another is a former student and his family has donated to the program.
Grateful Hearts, a Los Alamitos-based nonprofit, provides meals and support to those in need, including families at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base.
A portion of every race registration fee goes to the charities. If you use the code “SEEK” at checkout, the donation increases to $5 per registration to Project SEEK. Using the code “HEARTS” delivers the $5 portion to Grateful Hearts.
Both Project SEEK President Lisa Johnston and Grateful Hearts Director Blair Petrini spoke in support of the Turkey Trot at the Oct. 14 council meeting.
“This will be a fun, family event and Project SEEK is so grateful [to] be a beneficiary,” Johnston wrote in a text message to The Sun. “I hope all McGaugh families as well as the community will join us in running to support the art and technology at our school.”
Double-dose of events
The Seal Beach Turkey Trot isn’t the only community event taking place on Nov. 23. Hours after the runners go home, the annual Christmas Tree lighting will take place at Eisenhower Park. In an interview last month, Rapp said he sees the morning Turkey Trot as a great way to promote the tree lighting, which is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. “It’s a full day of family fun,” Rapp said.
“I think both events can coexist,” Kelsey wrote in an email message to The Sun. “If the run can help the tree lighting be a better event I believe that is advantageous for the community.”
Kelsey added that the city’s goal is to make sure the Turkey Trot is safe with minimal impacts to residents and emphasized organizers and city staff have been working together to make that happen.
Editor’s Note: The author is a contributor to the Sun, the parent of a McGaugh student and has donated to fundraisers benefiting Project SEEK. Charles M. Kelly contributed reporting for this story.
