TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay woke up bright and early Thursday to one of everyone’s favorite holiday traditions, the Tampa YMCA Turkey Gobble.
More than 5,500 runners and walkers filled the streets of Downtown Tampa at sunrise, bringing festive energy and plenty of creative costumes.
WATCH: Tampa Turkey Gobble draws massive crowd to Downtown Tampa
Participants arrived in everything from inflatable turkey suits to dogs dressed in tutus.
Runner Nick Dinisio took on the course in an inflatable costume alongside his dog, Arrow.
“I love dogs. This is arrow down here and we’ve been teamed together for years,” Dinisio said.
Madison and Samantha Tessar opted for comfort with holiday-themed headbands.
“We wanted to do this last year, and we had tutus, so you have to dress up,” Tessar said.
Among the crowd was Sarah Ames, an avid runner who recently moved to Tampa specifically for its active running community. This year marked her first turkey Gobble.
“This is my first turkey trot. I’m not usually out here but I’m really excited I wanted to make sure I got dressed,” she said proudly sporting a turkey hat.
The festivities wrapped up around 8:30 am. All proceeds support the YMCA’s Thrivers Program, which provides assistance for children in the Tampa Bay Area that are battling cancer.
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