The Durango Turkey Trot always brings out some of the best athletes in town, and the 5-mile race had two different winners than last year.
Durango’s Charlie Dillman won the men’s 5-mile race, and Hesperus’ Caitlin Jones won the women’s 5-mile race on Thursday at Fort Lewis College.
Runners had a beautiful fall day with barely any clouds or wind to burn off some calories before the eating and drinking begin. The race began at 10 a.m. near the student union on FLC and followed the same course as in years prior. Runners will proceed around campus on Rim Drive, up to the Hillcrest neighborhood, down past the reservoir, around the back of the Hillcrest Golf Course to finish at the clock tower at the FLC.
After the 5-mile race, the 1-mile fun run started at 11 a.m. and started and ended at the same spots as the 5-mile race.
Dillman finished the 5-mile race in 26 minutes and 29 seconds. Behind him was Durango’s Clayton Wolfe in second in 26:58 and Gunnison’s Julian Ryter in third in 27:45.
“It was a fun community event,” Dillman said. “It was fun to meet new runners during the race. Sadly, my old coach, Wayde Hall, didn’t race ... he’s been on a winning streak. Between me and him, if he were healthy, it probably would’ve been him.”
Dillman, 19, is a sophomore runner at Western Colorado. He had a quality running career at Durango High School, finishing 44th at state his senior year in 2023. Dillman redshirted his freshman year and was an active member of the Western Colorado cross country team this season.
Since high school, Dillman said he’s been more intentional with every run he does, whether it’s an easy run or a long run. He’s gauging his effort better and is running with people with a similar mindset.
Dillman was with two other runners for the first two miles, then he took off and finished on his own.
“I’m grateful for my health, my family and friends,” Dillman said. “I’m also thankful to have a good community.
The top two finishers in the women’s race were the same as last year, but the order flipped. Jones finished second last year behind Zia Fadil, but this year, she got the best of Fadil. Jones finished 14th overall and won the women’s race in 30:21. Fadil was second in 31:01, and Rebekah Quayle finished third in 32:43.
Jones, 42, has been running since her early 20s and competitively for the past five years. She’s competed in Ultra races like the Leadville 100, Cascade Crest in Washington and Tunnel Hill in Illinois.
“I felt good,” Jones said. “I’m in good shape right now, and I was chasing Zia for the first mile and a half or so and caught her on a hill. I then had worked so hard to stay ahead of work. She's super talented.”
A former Army medic, Jones has done the Turkey Trot a few years for fun. She said it’s a hard distance for her, but she put in a good effort and used her strength on hills for an advantage.
It was important for Jones to show up and run because of the strong running community in Durango. She’s thankful for the Durango community.
The Turkey Trot set another record for participants with over 1,000, according to race director Mathew Krichman. Over 700 people registered for the 5-mile run, with the rest running the 1-mile fun run.
“This is my favorite day of the year, partly because of the holiday that means a lot to so many people,” Krichman said. “Also because of this amazing event that brings the community together to celebrate fitness, family, friendship and to do something great as a community.”
The event has come a long way since Krichman first began running it in 2009, when there were only 294 runners signed up. It’s an event for Krichman that signifies how special the Durango community is. He remembered when he moved to Durango in 2006, he didn’t know many people when he signed up for the Turkey Trot. After the race, he started talking with two other runners who invited him to Thanksgiving.
“This is just a great town,” Krichman said. “Why is this race so special? Because the town is so special.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
