Community Corner

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot Returns For Ninth Year to Benefit Local Charities

More than 24,000 people participated last year in annual Thanksgiving race to benefit charity.

The ninth annual Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, founded and produced by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation, returns this year at 7:45 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 at the corner of Santa Clara and Market streets in downtown San Jose.

Sponsored by Applied Materials, the race includes a 5K walk and run,10K run and a kids' fun run for the general public and benefits Housing Trust Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties and the Healthier Kids Foundation Santa Clara County.

During the past eight years, the Turkey Trot has generated more than $3.4 million for charity, accordind to Jill Kipnis, a spokesperson for the event.

To register for the Turkey Trot, please click here.

The event, which drew nearly 25,000 participants last year, is the brainchild of Monte Sereno residents Carl and Leslee Guardino who were inspired to start the race after hearing about a similar effort in Sacramento Thanksgiving morning, 2004.

Carl Guardino is the is CEO and president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Participants are also urged to donate canned goods for its annual food drive. Last year, 25,000 pounds of food was collected, Kipnis said.

“Housing Trust Silicon Valley was honored to be chosen as a standing beneficiary of the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot starting in its inaugural year in 2005,” said HTSV CEO Kevin Zwick.

“Over the years, the greater Silicon Valley has benefited immensely by funds raised by the event. We are able to directly help the community’s homeless get into apartments, assist families in need of security deposit loans, and work with first time home buyers competing in an extremely tight market,” Zwick said.

Joe Pon, vice president of communications and public affairs for Applied Materials said the Turkey Trot is a fun family tradition providing much needed support for charities in Silicon Valley. “We are proud to have helped launch this community event and look forward to another year of record-setting participation,” he said.

Other Turkey Trot events include a 10K wheelchair race and both a men’s and women’s Elite Invitational 5K.

Community members can also register for specific competition groups including CEO/Celebrity, Quickest Cop/Fastest Firefighter, and U.S. Military and Veterans.

Participants can choose to take part in a variety of race day contests. This year’s events include a costume contest, a company-specific contest honoring the “Fittest Firm,” a friend and family wellness option honoring the best race inspiration stories, and the Mayor’s Cup for civic leaders.


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