beachbites
322 Causeway Drive, Unit 107
Seapath Towers
Stunning waterfront totally renovated condo
with one bedroom, one and a half baths,
elegant kitchen and baths, sunset views,
pool, tennis, picnic/grill area, cabana, club
room, on site management. Great for second
home, full time or investment use. $450,000
TEE WOODBURY
Broker/REALTOR®, GRI
910-617-5561
800-533-1840
twoodbury@intracoastalrealty.com
14
WBM november 2013
Ninth Annual
Turkey Trot 5k
by HUNTER HOUTZER
The Wrightsville Beach Ninth Annual Turkey Trot 5k is providing families
with a Thanksgiving tradition that is not so traditional. On Thanksgiving
morning, November 28, the runners — some serious and some decked in
silly turkey-inspired fashions — will gather in Wrightsville Beach Park to
race, finishing in plenty of time to prepare for a holiday meal. Proceeds go to Cape Fear
Habitat for Humanity, which sponsors the event.
Nancy Faye Craig, 69,
is one of the most well-known
competitors and
plans to attend this year
as she has for the past four
years: dressed as a full-grown
turkey.
“I love it,” Craig says.
“Dressed up, I see smiles
from ear to ear. People
want to know if I will take
a picture with them. I feel
like a celebrity.”
It was local Realtors
Nancy Faye Craig, right, dons a turkey costume for the
Dick and Sandy Beals who
annual Turkey Trot, a 5k run started locally by Sandy
began the Turkey Trot in
and Dick Beals to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
Wilmington after moving
from New York, where Dick and their son were accustomed to running as a team during
their hometown Turkey Trot. Missing the tradition, the couple engaged Wilmington-based
sponsors and about 100 runners to hold the first Turkey Trot 5k with runners’
times tracked by Sandy Beals’ kitchen timer.
“It just grew bigger every year,” Sandy Beals says. “We had to pass the baton. Being
Realtors, Habitat for Humanity was an easy choice. People can both run and help to
build homes for people who may not have had that option otherwise.”
With Habitat’s help, the Turkey Trot draws a normal registration of more than 2,000
people, many of whom participate as family-based teams. Mother-daughter and father-son
teams are among the most popular.
“People thanked us for beginning a family tradition. But the best part in the first years
was when we handed that check over to Habitat for Humanity,” Sandy Beals says.
Kitty Yerkes, Habitat’s development director, is overjoyed with the attention the
race has garnered.
“It’s fabulous. It gets families out of the kitchen for a little bit and ends early so that
they still have their holiday. Plus, they can say they helped build a house,” Yerkes says.
“There’s something for everyone.”
Registration opens Thanksgiving morning at 7:30 a.m. with the race starting at 8:30 a.m.
To register online, visit www.capefearhabitat.org
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON POTTER