2020 Run! Turkey Run! Donates $19,000 to Local Food Charities

Yellowstone Rim Runners are pleased to announce that our Run! Turkey Run! race will donate $19,000 spread among five local food charities: Meals on Wheels, The Back Pack Program, Family Service, and the food pantries at both MSU-Billings, and Rocky Mountain College. This year, COVID-19 made it impossible to host our traditional event, but nearly 600 runners still raced virtually. Thank you to everyone who participated in the virtual Run! Turkey Run! as well as our sponsors: Billings Clinic, Valley Credit Union, Desert Mountain Broadcasting, HDR, Graphic Imprints, Residence Inn by Marriott, and Western Security Bank. 

Run! Turkey Run! Ten Years and $276,000 Donated

Yellowstone Rim Runners held their first Run! Turkey Run! on Thanksgiving Day, 2011. Kelly Fulton, a local runner, approached the Rim Runners with the idea for this run to raise money for, and awareness of, hunger. They decided on a downtown 5K and Street Mile, with the signature long sleeve shirts and pint glass featuring Kelly’s logo, beer, and a costume contest. Kelly thought that 250 to 350 runners would be interested.

He was right: That first year we had the expected 300, plus another 1,500!  Because of those 1,800 enthusiasts, we were able to donate $14,393.22 to the Billings Food Bank, along with countless pounds of donated food items. Check out our December 2011 newsletter to see pictures and results from that first race.

Over the years, Run! Turkey Run! has continued to be a popular race, with as many as 2,800 participants in a single year. In ten years, we've donated just over $276,000 to local food charities. Yellowstone Rim Runners are very proud of the community support for this event, from our generous sponsors to our dedicated volunteers, to the wide variety of folks who participate.

Organizing Run! Turkey Run!

Thank you to our race committee, who plan this fun charity event: Cathy Cullen, Cris Hernandez, Christina Gomer, Sarah Grau, Melissa Widseth, Brad Coutant, and Vince Long. A special thanks to Brad, Vince, and Cris who have been on the race committee all ten years! 

If you are interested in joining the 2021 race planning committee, e-mail us!