Thousands Brave Frigid Alexandria Turkey Trot

Thousands of hardy runners braved the coldest Alexandria Turkey Trot in more than two decades Thursday morning in Del Ray.

Start-time temperatures hovered right around freezing, ice patches dotted corners of the course and brisk winds made it feel even chillier. The strong gusts even knocked over some of the finish-line apparatus before runners reached the end of the course.

The frigid conditions, however, didn’t stop more than 4,200 runners from participating in the 38th annual race.

“It’s the coldest Alexandria Turkey Trot in 23 years,” Mayor Bill Euille said at the start. “But that hasn’t stopped you. Thanks for being ardent runners, but more importantly, thanks for being gracious members of the community and making donations today.”

A portion of the proceeds from the race went to benefit ALIVE!, a nonprofit organization consisting of volunteers from more than 40 religious congregations and community groups working to help Alexandrians in need. Runners were also asked to bring non-perishable food items to donate.

The 5-mile trot, which sends runners through the streets of Del Ray and Rosemont, was staged at George Washington Middle School for the third straight year. This year’s course was slightly altered to address runner-safety concerns and to coordinate a quicker reopening of Mount Vernon Avenue to traffic.

More than 5,500 registered for the event and race organizers said another 190 registered on-site just before the starting bell.

Diriba Degefa claimed first place with a time of 23 minutes, 59 seconds—5 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Baisa Ktsa.

Susanna Sullivan of Falls Church finished first among female runners with a time of 27:48.

Cassie Hughes of Alexandria finished first among runners with dogs with a time of 32:56. Joey Bernado of Arlington claimed first place among runners with strollers with a time of 29:44.

Complete race results are available on the Turkey Trot website.

The race is presented by the Del Ray Business Association and DC Road Runners.