‘The people made it special’: Trot’s tradition offers new step in Palisades recovery

Thousands of runners raced to the finish line for the Pacific Palisades’ 11th annual Turkey Trot on Thursday, with proceeds benefiting the rebuilding of the Palisades-Malibu YMCA.

But it wasn’t your typical morning-of-Thanksgiving tradition.

On this day, you’d find racers sporting traditional Thanksgiving garb, whether turkey, pumpkin, or pilgrim costumes. But you’d also find hats that say “Palisades Strong.”

Organizers said this is the first major public gathering in the Palisades since the January blazes, which devastated the idyllic coastal community, destroying over 6,800 structures and killing 12 individuals.

The event included a 5K, 10K and a children’s race, with nearly 2,000 running and spectating. The Palisades’ honorary mayors, Ted McGinley and Gigi Rice, were among those who competed in the 5K race this morning.

Henry Winn, a 17-year-old who previously went to Harvard-Westlake School, won first-place in the 5K race, finishing in just over 16 minutes. Though he and his family moved out of the Palisades a few years ago, he decided to come back because “it has a special place in [his heart].”

“The people made it special. That’s the reason it’s still thriving,” said Winn.

Thursday morning was more than just a race. It was a significant milestone in the recovery of a fire-torn community.

The holiday 5K and 10K events drew about 2,200 participants and 2,500 spectators across Pacific Palisades in what’s become a family community tradition since 2013.

Runners this year started and ended the race in front of a former Bank of America branch gutted by the Palisades fire. It’s right across the street from Palisades Village, which was mostly spared from destruction.

Previously, the races have started and ended at Palisades Charter High School — but it was also burned down in January.

With so much loss in the community — whether a school, home, place of worship, Thursday morning was a chance for Palisades residents to reflect on the spirit of Thanksgiving and share in a collective feeling of hope.

Jim Kirtley, Executive Director of the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, hopes to rebuild the branch as soon as possible.

“Seeing everybody together is the epitome of what the Palisades is,” said Kirtley. “The community is very tight-knit, and this disaster has just brought the community together even tighter.”

Since the January blazes, the Palisades-Malibu branch has relocated to the Simon-Meadows branch, where they have waived membership fees for those affected by the fire.

The YMCA runs various youth programs including the Youth and Government program, serving middle-school and high-school students. This year, youth affected by the fires were able to join the program for free, which typically costs $3,000 per individual.

Kirtley says the $15,000 raised from the Turkey Trot will go directly toward the rebuilding of the Palisades-Malibu branch, located just a block away from the race, that was completely destroyed in the fires.

“[The YMCA] has always been a very important centerpiece of our community,” said Dave O’Connell. “It was really important that we got to rebuild it.”

O’Connell, a co-founder of the Palisades Turkey Trot, told City News Service in deciding to push through with the event this year, that it occurred to him that “this race could be something that the community could really rally around.”

He lost his home in the January fires but has since obtained the permit to begin rebuilding his home.

Rabbi Zushe Cunin was supporting racers on behalf of the Chabad Jewish Community Center of the Pacific Palisades. A large portion of his school, the Palisades Jewish Early Childhood Center, was burned down, forcing them to relocate to a site in Santa Monica.

“We’re just so grateful of the energy, the momentum of building back,” said Cunin.

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Results were posted shortly after the race at www.paliturkeytrot.com/results.