It was a cool, crisp, windy but sunny morning for the 49th annual Montauk Turkey Run for Fun. A record number of runners toed the starting line on Thanksgiving Day to support the Montauk, East Hampton, and Springs food pantries and Meals on Wheels. Each year, the race starts from the west side of the Circle in the hamlet, rain or shine, and offers a 3-mile and 6-mile run or walk.
“The weather just worked out. We got this window of sun. No rain, so basically a ton of runners,” said John Rooney, East Hampton Town’s superintendent of recreation. “We had 1,294 signed up, including virtuals. After we sold out the live race — where you get a bib and run — we allowed people to sign up for the virtual race, so they can do it over their phone or give a donation.”
Runners dressed as turkeys, families pushing kids in strollers, and members of the East Hampton High School boys and girls indoor track teams all showed up — those team runners earning practice credit for racing on Thanksgiving.
“We have young people, folks with their dogs, walkers with poles. It’s a huge community event for us,” Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the town supervisor, said. “Folks get to burn a few calories so they can have that extra piece of pie.”
The Rossi family has been running the race for over a decade, and took top honors this year. Tim Rossi, 32, who runs with Lost Boys Track Club in New York City, won the 6-mile race on the men’s side with a time of 32:18. His fiancée, Erin Gregoire, 28, an Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon, was the second-place female in the 6-mile race, finishing in 36:19.
She trailed the first-place finisher, Penelope Greene, 22, of Noyac, the 2025 N.C.A.A. Division III outdoor track 5K and 10K champion for SUNY Geneseo, who clocked in at 34:56. She also ran track for East Hampton.
“I’ve won it a few times,” Tim Rossi said, “and I won this year because the fast guy didn’t do it. We spend Thanksgiving with my dad’s sister on Shelter Island every year. It’s super fun.”
Tim’s late father, Steve, started the Rossi family tradition in 2014. “He signed us all up,” Anne Rossi, Tim’s mom, said. “I didn’t want to do it. I was like, ‘What the hell? What are we doing on Thanksgiving with this Turkey Trot?’ But he signed us up and we’ve been doing it every year.”
The family loves the race, in spite of the challenging course. Rossi and Gregoire plan to come back as a married couple next year to see if they can both take first place. “It’s very difficult, but it’s always fun and very low-key and a nice way to enjoy running,” Gregoire said. “It’s so hilly and the hills just keep going. It will flatten for a second and then keep going up.”
Sean Grossman, 22, from Sag Harbor, another Lost Boys runner, was the men’s winner in the 3-miler with a time of 16:08. Hetty McMillan, 25, from New York City, who ran track and field for Lehigh University, won the 3-mile race on the women’s side in 18:32, according to her watch. A malfunction with her chip showed McMillan running a 52:55 6-miler in the official results, although photo evidence — and this reporter — confirmed she was the first woman to finish the shorter distance.
Chip snafus aside, it was a great day to race and to fund-raise. “Every year is better than ever. It’s a wonderful sense of community,” Councilman David Lys said. “It’s a community tradition that Montauk’s been doing for 49 years, and we’re very happy to be participating.”
