Four-year-old Payton Paul improved her race time in the 1-mile run at Thursday’s McCarthy-Bush Scott County Family Y Turkey Trot by three minutes.
Her mother didn’t do so bad either.
Jen Paul, 30, of LeClaire, ran the 5K in the fastest race time among the female participants: 31 minutes, 59 seconds.
“I was surprised by the course,” she said of the route. “There was high wind and hills. It was very challenging.”
The 5K route took runners and walkers through Davenport — up Main Street to Vander Veer Botanical Park and back to the downtown area where they finished in front of the Y on West 2nd Street.
Payton said she enjoys running with her mother.
“Sometimes I do a really good job,” Payton said.
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She did the 1-mile course in 10 minutes, 40 seconds.
Devin Allbaugh, 22, a Bettendorf native now living in Minnesota, also did a really good job, getting the best men’s time, running the 5K in 25 minutes, 41 seconds.
“I’m coming back here to run before I stuff my face full of food,” Allbaugh said.
The former Pleasant Valley High School track star said he went at Thursday’s course “kind of hard” after taking a few days off from running — he competes nationally — and the challenges of the course caught up to him around Vander Veer.
Not everyone competed.
Some ran with family. Dave Rogers, 37, of Rock Island said he ran his second Turkey Trot so that he could cheer on his wife, Amie Rogers, who was running her first.
“It gives me an excuse to eat like a pig,” Dave Rogers said.
Others wore costumes. Pilgrims, American Indians and turkeys were seen bobbing up and down in the crowd.
Sam Martin, 17, of Bettendorf, was dressed as a rabbit. “I want to be a little crazy,” Martin said while warming up in his furry white suit.
Some supported causes. Dona Fehr, 31, of Champaign and Tina Fehr, 38, of Kansas City came out to support their sister, Lana Fehr, 40, of Blue Grass, who has suffered a stroke.
“This is something she really wanted to do,” Dona Fehr said, while pushing Lana in a wheelchair along the course.
Though Lana had difficulty speaking, she indicated to her sisters that she was excited to participate in the Turkey Trot.
The 26th annual event had a record-breaking turnout of 2,786 from 28 states and four countries, organizers said.
Frank Klipsch Sr. started the Turkey Trot in 1987, shortly after coming to Davenport as the Scott County Family Y’s then-new CEO. He has announced his retirement to move into a new job as president of the newly created YMCA Youth and Family Foundation.
“It’s exciting to see the race become a tradition for a lot of families,” he said. “It’s also a healthy start to the holiday.”
The annual runs have raised a total of more than $500,000 for the various programs offered at the Y, including camps, tutoring, affordable child care, membership scholarships, youth sports and leadership activities, Klipsch said.
He also thanked McCarthy-Bush Corporation of Davenport, the race’s sponsor for most of its 26 years.