Julie isphording thanksgiving dinner

Any event with a lengthy history like the Thanksgiving Day Race has many stories. As I assemble some of them for you, I need to acknowledge material from past articles written by Barry Horstman in the Cincinnati Post and John Fay in the Cincinnati Enquirer, a current blog by Tommy Kaufmann and research by Jim Pleshinger. In addition, numerous other individuals contributed their own personal anecdotes. I hope you find the narratives related to this time-honored event entertaining.

This, the oldest footrace in the Midwest and one of the most senior in the country, began in   It has continued without interruption to the present with only two exceptions. In World War I intervened, and in management problems caused the race to miss a year.

The event's origins, and in particular the choice of Thanksgiving Day, are a bit hazy even to long-time race organizers. Some say the race was started by the downtown YMCA under the provisions of its charter. Others suggest that a few local runners simply decided to organize a race one year and chose a holiday when most people would be off.

Part of the impetus, however, may well have been American marathoner Johnny Hayes' stunning gold-medal victory in the Olympic Games in London. Hayes' triumph elevated public interest in long-distance road races. This response preceded Frank Shorter's win 64 years later in the Munich Games when Shorter&#;s gold medal in the marathon also ignited a running craze in the United States.

On the 26 of November, Thanksgiving Day morning in , 21 men historically took off from the Fort Thomas Central YMCA. They wound their way through Northern Kentucky and across the Ohio River via the L&N Bridge into Cincinnati. 18 of these individuals eventually finished outside the downtown YMCA at 7th and Walnut Streets. The winner that year, as he would be for the next four installments, was Lovell Draper, who covered the approximately 7-mile course in and won by over three minutes.

The Cincinnati

Julie Isphording has run in more races than she can count.

She won the Los Angeles Marathon in A Cincinnati native, she's won her hometown's Thanksgiving Day Race 12 times. Now, she's managed the charity race for 12 years.

Yet Isphording hasn't slept since Thursday's event, as she contemplates changes to next year's race.

"It's 2 a.m. in the morning and I can't shake the thought of watching people steal food," Isphording said. "People were stealing food, cussing kids out and one threw a box at me. They threw it right in my face."

The Thanksgiving Day Race is one of the longest running road races in the United States. For years, Cincinnatians have been running through downtown on the morning before turkey feasts at home.

Every year the numbers have grown. The run had more than 15, participants. Money raised from the event goes to 12 local charities that range from the Ronald McDonald House to the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Cincinnati.

After running 10 kilometers, participants are greeted with energy bars, granola bars, yogurt, bagels, fruit and more. There's always enough to go around from first finisher to the last. In fact, there's often so much that the extras are packed up and donated to the Freestore Foodbank.

Not this year.

"There were people jumping in dumpsters"

Thanksgiving Day was nearly a perfect day for runners.

The temperature was a bit low, right around freezing at the start, but skies were clear and the roads were dry.

"The course was clean, the water stop was beautiful and we had a gorgeous minute start line," Isphording said. "It was a perfect day."

Isphording said the things she worries about most on race day are usually the health of runners. One Thanksgiving she recalls sitting in the emergency room with a man who had a heart attack in the middle of the race. She still remembers hugging the man's wife when she showed up.

"The day is about friends and family," Isphording

CINCINNATI — If you're worried about overeating or ruining your diet on Thanksgiving, have no fear, you and your family and friends can still register for the th annual Thanksgiving Day Race.

There are about 9, people registered to run the race so far. In , 13, runners participated.

The race is one of the oldest in the country, but the 10k is not as competitive as other major races.

"The Thanksgiving Day Race is all about coming together," said Julie Isphording, Thanksgiving Day Race director. "It's about getting together on a starting line and really enjoying some time together with your neighbors, old college friends, your children, your aunts and uncles."

Beyond the early workout and coming together with family and friends, the race also benefits a number of charities, including Goodwill, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and the Ronald McDonald House.

Goodwill will also be at the race on race day collecting donations.

The race begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, but the Pepto Kids Fun Run starts at a.m. outside of Paul Brown Stadium. You can register for the race here.