The new non-profit organization Piedmont Turkey Trot and the Piedmont Unified School District reached an agreement on Nov. 4. According to the terms of the contract, the Piedmont Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day Race will benefit the Piedmont High School cross country and track and field teams, as well as the Piedmont Athletic Facilities Preservation Fund.
Last year’s Turkey Trot, which occurred before the formation of the non-profit, supplied the cross country and track teams with all the money they requested. By the terms of the agreement, the teams will receive at least $20,000 each year for the next five years from the Piedmont Turkey Trot.
Last year, the race raised $30,000, after $24,000 of expenses. These expenses have risen over the last twelve years of Turkey Trot history along with participation. In 2014, Turkey Trot participation grew to 2,304 runners compared to 401 at the first race in 2002. This year, they estimate to have 2,300 people running the race.
“It’s a very expensive race to put on. We’re projecting that this year it will cost us $35,000 to put on the race, and we’d love to be able to net $20,000, but it all depends on how many people sign up,” said president of Piedmont Turkey Trot Marilyn Weber.
The race’s largest expenses are T-shirts and bibs: this year the organizers spent a total of $22,000. These expenses were part of the source of a dispute with the Piedmont Unified School District, as in past years they were paid for with the previous year’s proceeds.
“That was what the school district was disputing with us, saying we had used district funds when we believed that we had used fund-raising funds for the purpose of supporting next year’s race, because, historically, that is how this race has been managed,” Weber said.
To settle the dispute, on Nov. 4, the school district and Piedmont Turkey Trot entered into a contract that sets terms for the distribution of Turkey Trot proceeds for the next five years.
“I’m very happy to report that it’s all behind us and we can now focus on running this year’s race,” Weber said.
PHS cross country and track and field coach Jeanine Holmlund said that proceeds from this year’s race will be spent on buses, uniforms, track equipment, supplies for meets that PHS hosts and meet entries.
The Piedmont Athletic Facilities Preservation Fund, which will be receiving funds from the Turkey Trot for the first time this year, was established in 2012 for the maintenance, refurbishment, and replacement of district athletic facilities, such as Witter Field or Coaches Field.
“We just thought that was the perfect additional beneficiary for our race because it matches our mission, which is to support amateur athletics,” Weber said.
According to the terms of the agreement, Piedmont Turkey Trot must deliver any “excess profits” to the Piedmont Athletic Facilities Preservation Fund for the next two years. After those two years, Piedmont Turkey Trot may choose where these “excess profits” go for the rest of the time that the contract is in effect.
When she met with the Piedmont City Council, Weber cited three reasons for the formation of the new non-profit organization to run the race. Her first reason was to ensure that the race will continue to occur in the future by creating a succession plan with a formal structure—in this case, a board. According to the by-laws of Piedmont Turkey Trot, board members and other non-profit leadership cannot be compensated.
“We can ask people to be on the board doing very small jobs and getting sort of a feel for the race, and then moving up and taking more responsibility,” said Weber. “So that’s the goal of having a board. You want to be able to have people in place who are committed to doing it and who want to do it.”
Weber’s second reason was that the organizers needed access to funds to manage the race all year long, especially during the summer.
“We were not able to get them because they were being held in the ASB account, which is shut down, naturally, when school stops, and doesn’t open up again until school starts,” Weber said.
Thirdly, now that the Turkey Trot is the second largest community event in Piedmont, they wanted proper insurance for everybody involved, including runners, and more transparency on where proceeds go.
“So, for example, when you have a board, you usually get something called Directors and Officers Insurance,” Weber said. “We wanted to make sure that we have that to protect the people who are really committed to volunteering at this race.”
To further resolve confusion and concerns about the newly-formed non-profit and fund allocation, Weber met with the cross country team on Nov. 9.
“The meeting was organized by team parents to learn more about the Turkey Trot and how the team can continue its partnership going forward,” Holmlund said.
At the meeting, Weber also talked about volunteer opportunities for parents.
“There has been an enthusiastic response from parents to help out with the race and to join either the board of directors or the advisory board,” Holmlund said.
Holmlund plans on participating on the advisory board.
The school district is not the only one involved with the Turkey Trot. According to a City Council agenda report by City Administrator Paul Benoit, as participation in the Turkey Trot has grown, so has the city’s involvement—from the Public Works Department’s dealing with barriers and clean up to the Fire Department’s bringing in a reserve crew and the Police Department’s needing a overtime supervisor.
The total cost to the city is estimated as $5,305.81, for which the city has never asked the Turkey Trot’s organizers for reimbursement.
Piedmont Turkey Trot’s application for street closure was recommended for approval and approved by the City Council on Nov. 7.
“We hope that sometime, somebody will celebrate the 100th annual Piedmont Turkey Trot,” Weber said. “We want to keep this thing going. We’re so excited that this continues to be a well-loved community event on what used to be a very sleepy morning in this town.”
