Turkey Trot adds to the Thanksgiving running menu

For several years, Tallahassee Turkey Trot race director David Yon has been unhappy with the selection of races offered at his event. With only a 15K, a 10K, a 5K, and a one-mile fun run, runners don't have much choice as to what they run. However, the event is already a logistical nightmare with three races going on simultaneously in the same area of Southwood. No one could see how to add any more races without creating more course congestion and more finish line confusion.

No one, that is, except Frank Lirpa of Lirpa Race Management Services. Lirpa is taking over the finish line duties at the 2010 event, and plans to add 3K, 8K, and 12K races to the Thanksgiving Day classic. I was able to reach Lirpa over the phone at his company's headquarters in Arkham, Massachusetts.

"You've got too many people in your 5K," explained Lirpa. "Most of them would be just as happy running only 3K, so we'll add the shorter event for them."

Won't you need several new courses?

"Not at all," said Lirpa. "We'll keep one of the five-kilometer loops and add a pair of three-kilometer loops."

Which three-kilometer loop will the 3K race use?

"Either one. This is all about choice, after all."

Um, okay. So will the 8K runners also get a choice of three-kilometer loops."

"You got it," agreed Lirpa. "In fact, they've got more choice. They can run a five-kilometer loop and then either of the three-kilometer loops, or they can do a three-kilometer loop first. The 15K runners can run three five-kilometer loops or five of the three-kilometer loops. The 12K runners have to stick to the three-kilometer loops, but they can do any combination of four of those."

The 10K runners are stuck with two five-kilometer loops, though.

"Yeah, but they can run one or both of them backwards."

So you could even add a 6K or a 9K race to the event.

"Don't be silly! No one runs 6K."

Right. With all these runners doing whatever loop they want in any direction they care to run, how do you keep track of how far everyone has run?

"I've got a patent on that," proudly replied Lirpa. "I call it the Lirpa System. At a control point on each course, each runner gets a color-coded ball. My partner Tom named them 'loofs.' For example, on the three-kilometer loops, each runner would be handed a red loof, and on the five-kilometer loop runners would get a blue loof. When an 8K runner finished the race, he would have to turn in one red loof and one blue loof. A 15K runner would have to turn in five red loofs or three blue loofs."

What if someone finishes with, oh, two red loofs and one blue loof?

"That would mean they had run eleven kilometers. There's no eleven-kilometer race, so it would be up to the race director to either disqualify them or count their time in the 10K."

It seems to me that it's going to take a lot of loofs to pull this off, but Frank Lirpa seems confident that his company can do it.

Links:

• 2009 Turkey Trot story
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-turkeys-were-harmed-in-trotting-of.html
  
  
• Turkey Trot web pages at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/turkeytrot/
  
  
• More nonsense: Beyond age grading with Dr. Schweinfleisch
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/04/beyond-age-grading.html