Milford Turkey Trot Hopes To Raise $30K For Charities

MILFORD, CT — In 2021, Tor Blackstad set out to make the Milford Turkey Trot a tradition for Milford residents; now in its third year, Blackstad expects a larger crowd than last year.

“I thought I could peer pressure about 50 neighbors to come out and do a turkey trot with me in 2021, and we got a little over 600 participants,” he said. “The second one, we got over 800 participants.”

The Third Annual Milford Turkey Trot Charity Event is set for Thursday, Nov. 23. at 9 a.m. at the Natatorium Parking Lot, 80 Park Circle.

For more information, route race information, and to register for the Milford Turkey Trot, click here.

“We are asking people to register before Nov. 3 to make sure they get their shirts,” Blackstad said. “I always buy extra for those who register late, but I just can’t guarantee your size or enough to cover everybody.”

A 1 Mile, 2 Mile or 3 Mile run or walk option is available during the turkey trot.

“We are highlighting the virtual participation aspect of this turkey trot as well,” Blackstad said. “Which means if people are traveling or not local, they can still participate. We have already got several people registered from out of state.”

Many lessons were learned in the first two turkey trots, but the one thing Blackstad said everyone liked was being able to pick up the race packet the day before the event.

“This year, Dick’s Sporting Goods is a big sponsor, and we will try to do an early packet pickup at their location in Milford. The date is to be determined, so we are working on the logistics,” he said.

Blackstad said they are working with the city to use barricades to keep participants safe and to outline the race rout better.

“The first year, we had nothing; the second year, we just used little garden stakes with plastic caution tape, and we are going all out this year,” he said.

This year, the popular RumRunners will begin playing live music at the Milford Turkey Trot starting at 8 a.m.

“This is a huge addition and a big change. We wanted to have something where the adults can hang out after the race, listen to live music and enjoy a beverage, whether alcoholic or not,” Blackstad said. “We are also working on something for the kids to do. We’re looking to do something more structured this year than what we had last year. We don’t have the details yet.”

Blackstad said that in the first two years, they had enough corporate sponsorships to cover the cost of putting on the race, such as city permits, liquor licenses and other costs.

“We are working on it this year to hit that goal to cover costs, but we are on the path to do it,” he said. “What that means is that 100 percent of the people’s registration fees and 100 percent of the donations of the website go to the charity.”

This year, the goal for the Milford Turkey Trot is $30,000 to raise in donations. The donations will be split evenly between Milford Public Schools, Purple Pantry Boxes and Avery’s Little Army for The Cure Starts Now.

“We had no goal the first year, and we were able to donate $8,000,” Blackstad said. “The second year, our goal was $10,000, and we donated $20,000. So is $30,000 kind of crazy and ambitious, but if you look at the trend of going from $8,000 to $20,000, I don’t think $30,000 is impossible.”