OrganicAthlete

We welcomed 22 people - 6 opted to run, 2 were joggers, and the remainder strolled along the scenic and fresh 5km walking path along the waterfront in Victoria in support of an animal-friendly Thanksgiving! Turkeys are symbolic of this holiday, but it's no excuse for exploiting and harming other animals. OrganicAthlete Victoria and Friends of Animals both recommend a compassionate vegan Thanksgiving dinner. - visit our Action page for more info, and delicious vegan recipes: http://TheVictoriaVegan.com/foa/  Also visit the Friends of Animals VeganMeans website for a great selection of Thanksgiving and Holiday recipes:http://www.veganmeans.com/how_veganism/Thanksgiving_Remember.htm

We set the walkers out 10 minutes before the runners, so all would arrive around the same time.

The record to break, from Kevin Park last year, was 20:33, although he ended up taking a slightly longer route along the beach for a short while.

We saw Glenn Jasechko (running barefoot!) coming over the hill at around 18 minutes and were surprised to see him so early! He sprinted for the line and stopped the clock at 18:44, raising the bar significantly from last year! Our next top finisher was Jenn Marr who came through next at 23:26, a minute short of her time from last year, 22:36, although she came off the beach as well, perhaps mirroring Kevin's route from last year.

Next to cross the line were Michelle Dagg and Cara McLean both at 25:04. While this was Cara's first Trot, Michelle raced last year, and was most improved dropping over 5mins from last years time of 30:35! Will Michelle drop another 5 minutes for the 2012 event?! Check back in a year! =)

Evan Guengerich and Bridget Lambert finished strong with times of 26:46 and 27:46.

Our joggers, Reese Willis and Eko Goldberg finished together to the cheers of our runners, and before long our walkers turned up - Kiley McLean gave a little kick at the end and finished at the front of the walkers with a time of 52:10. ;)

After a short break, prizes were awarded, and we'd like to thank Clif Bar, Purica, Vega, Lotus Pond and Sarah's Place for their generous contributions to our entry goodies and draw prizes; all left with smiles and prizes in hand!

Feedback from participants was really positive, and so we'll be trying to come up with more ideas for 'trots' to do throughout the year. Let us know if you have any idea or inspirations for more events like this!

Dave Shishkoff
Canadian Correspondent
Friends of Animals 
Web Site: http://FriendsofAnimals.org
Victoria: http://TheVictoriaVegan.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2496490922
Twitter:http://Twitter.com/FoA_Victoria
FoA Vegan Starter Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/foa-vsg

Last Sunday was a bit of a cloudy and overcast day, but regardless OrganicAthlete Victoria and Friends of Animals welcomed 23 people and two dogs to join us for this fun run/jog/walk/whatever. Victoria is infamous for holding 1st-time sporting events with hardly any participants, so this was actually a pleasant surprise.

The goal of the event is to encourage a more peaceful Thanksgiving (and every meal!) by promoting veganism. It’s healthy, better for the environment, and certainly eliminates an unimaginable amount of suffering and killing in the world.

We welcomed a wide range of people, young and old, sporty and casual. According to the sign-up poll, fully 12 of the participants were vegans, three vegetarians, and the rest selected ‘curious to find out more’ or left it unmarked.

Most of the participants were keen on enjoying a walk along the scenic waterfront, but some opted to push themselves for the 5k run.

Top finisher was long-time OA Victoria member and vegan Kevin Park, with a time of 20:33, which is doubly-impressive given he took a wrong turn and ran a bit further! Adam Moss, a member of the UVic Triathlon club and vegetarian, was close behind finishing at 20:57. Top female and 3rd overall was long-time OA friend and supporter Lysanne Lavigne with a speedy 21:24, and a minute behind her was vegan and new FoA and UVic Tri member Jenn Marr.

A big thank-you also needs to go out to OA and FoA volunteers Scott, Mary, Kevin, Alissa and Jess for helping out and making this come together.

For more info on why to consider a vegan Thanksgiving (including recipes) check out the Friends of Animals ‘Victoria Vegan’ site: http://thevictoriavegan.com/foa/ and the FoA Vegan Starter Guide: http://bit.ly/foa-vsg

Have a happy, vegan Thanksgiving!