Thursday’s Turkey Day 5K owes its legacy to a lost football game and a fellow named Bob.
Bob Pickering – the originator of what is now the Turkey Day 5K – hails from Massachusetts, where, back in the day, they played the state high school football finale on Thanksgiving morning. Watching the gridiron contest was his traditional start to the holiday.
In the mid-1970s, however, finding himself in Minnesota and separated from his football routine, he invited a friend over for a morning run instead.
“He brought two neighbors with him,” the now 83-year-old former salesman remembered. “That started it.”
It, for the next decade or so, was a Thanksgiving morning “run and brunch” tradition that would hit the streets at 8 a.m. and say "so long" to the last brunching straggler by 11 a.m. By 1989, the holiday gathering at the Pickering house had grown to 50 runners.
“My wife June thinks it was 80,” he concedes. “It was huge and FUN. But we had 16 coming for Thanksgiving dinner at 3 p.m. The following day, June said we could not do that again. It was really a busy day.”
Bob, who noted that he and his daughter Karen did all the shopping, cooking and prep for the run and brunch and then helped preparing the family dinner, wisely ended the run and brunch that year -- only to start what is now the Turkey Day 5K, a Thanksgiving morning runners' fixture in downtown Minneapolis.
Launched as the Arena Club 5K Run with the support of Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson, then co-owners of the Northwest Health Club chain and the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves, the race made its first strides through downtown Minneapolis the following year.
Bob Pickering (number 53) and his family with Harvey Ratner (right) at the 1992 event
“I humbly take 100% credit for this idea,” Bob quipped. Noting that he went over his good friend’s head to bring the idea to Harvey Ratner.
“He fell in love with it!”
Bob had turned to Harvey because it seemed natural.
“I had zero interest in doing it myself,” he noted. “I was a member of the club and knew everyone there and had a great relationship with everyone. They had a running club with several hundred runners in it for a base of entries and volunteers."
"It was the year the Target Center was to open, and it seemed like a good promo.”
Asked why he felt confident the event would be a success, Bob pushed back on the premise.
“I am not sure confident is the right word. I felt strongly that if we could draw 50-plus by word of mouth (we did not even have email!) there was a need or opportunity.”
The inaugural 1990 race saw 538 finishers and the event grew steadily through its evolution – topping 13,000 participants in its heyday -- and ultimately becoming a Life Time property before acquisition by Twin Cities In Motion earlier this year.
Honorary Official Starter
In recognition of his foresight and hard work, TCM has asked Bob to be the honorary official starter for the 2022 race. He’ll participate, too, as the eldest of his family’s four generation representation on the course.
He’ll be joined by his daughter Karen, his granddaughter Ashley and her husband Zack as well as great-grandchildren Dash and Braxton, aged 6 and 4, respectively.
“My eyes tear up at the thought of it,” Bob shared. “To spend time with family is always special but there is no way to describe being side by side at a starting line.”
This article originally appeared in The Connection in November 2022, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here.