Meadow Pointe resident Keith Brawner wasted little time signing up for the first-ever Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot when he saw it was coming to Wesley Chapel.
On Oct. 8. 2013, he issued a challenge on Facebook:
โHey, we signed up, who else wants to do this?โ
Keith was ecstatic, however, when his entire family โ and his wife Dianeโs family, even some of those living out of state โ took him up on his challenge.
โI knew this was something we had to do,โโ says Diane. โI used to live in Tampa Palms and I remember when getting a Super Target (in Wesley Chapel) was a big deal. Iโm the one that always gets excited for new things, and when this came to Wesley Chapel, I was happy to have something for the community that we didnโt have to drive to Clearwater for.โ
Five years later, the โBrawner Bunchโ is now 15 strong, all signed up to run, walk and laugh their way Thanksgiving morning through the fifth annual Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot 5K Race and 1-Mile Fun Run at the Shops of Wiregrass.
โIt has grown into a wonderful family tradition,โโ says Keith, who will be joined at the Wobble by Diane and their 7-year-old daughter Kaitlyn, who will try to run the mile by herself this year despite fighting the flu recently.
Kaitlyn was only three years old when she first took part.
โShe would be on my shoulders as I ran, then Iโd put her down and sheโd run as far as she could, then she would go back on my shoulders,โโ Keith says. โBut, she wanted to cross the finish line on her own.โ
Kaitlyn, now a second-grader at Sand Pine Elementary, will have plenty of company, as cousins Caleb (13), Hunter (11), Kaden (9), Alex (9) and Austin (6) will join in this yearโs festivities.
For Caleb and Hunter, and their parents Kevin and Kelly Brawner, they will be making the trip from West Memphis, AR, for their first Wiregrass Wobble.
Kaden will be driving down from Marion, AR, with Keithโs parents, Gary and Shiela. The trio has never missed a Wobble, and say they donโt plan to. In fact, Kadenโs parents are headed on a cruise this Thanksgiving, but given the choice, Kaden chose running in Wesley Chapel over saling the high seas.
โThe first year, Kaden was just 4, so Iโd carry him for most of it, but now he runs it,โ said Gary, who is 63. โHeโs faster than me now. My knees arenโt what they used to be.โ
He adds that the Wobble has become a family tradition everyone looks forward to. Everyone wakes up in the morning, โeats a donut or something sweet to get some carbs in us,โ and starts Thanksgiving Day out running. When the run is over, they all head back to Keith and Dianeโs for some fried turkey.
Gary says the morning run is worth at least one, maybe two, extra slices of apple pie later. โAlthough really,โ he said, laughing, โwe should all be running after we eat the dinner.โ
This year, Keith says he will be frying three turkeys โ flavored with a Cajun spice injector โ as additional family members who donโt run but come to cheer the others on will make for a packed house.
โTrust me,โ Keith says, โfried turkey is the way to go.โ
Dianeโs mother Patsy, 72, will make the trip from Carbondale, PA, to run in the 5K, and Dianeโs sister Dawn Zendegui, her wife Stephanie and their sons Austin and Alex complete the Brawner Bunch.
Diane, who describes herself as more of a โsurvivor of runsโ than a runner, despite competing in the past in half-marathons and one full marathon, said previously that she ran the Wiregrass Wobble 5K to see what kind of a time she could post. Now, she focuses more on the fun aspect.
โLetโs put it this way โ I wonโt be setting any records this year,โโ Diane says. โThis is a really nice way for my family and his family to come together. I never thought it would become what it has. Itโs really just become a great tradition, right up there with buying the peanut oil for the turkey.โ
All proceeds from the Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot events go to local charities, including FITNiche Foundation, Feeding America Tampa Bay, the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Foundation and the Rotary Club of New Tampa Foundation, which provides funds for 25 local charities. More than $110,000 has been raised since 2013, and nearly 7,300 people had participated in the event.
Race organizers are expecting their largest-ever field ever next week.
Those wanting to participate in the Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot can register at WiregrassWobbleTurkeyTrot.com. Pre-registration (by Nov. 22) is $35, and race day registration is $40.
There will be a 2017 tech shirt for all runners, โOrnamedalโ medals for all 5K finishers; school team competitions; Corporate & Friends & Family competitions and 1st-, 2nd- & 3rd-place awards for all 5K age groups; and all 1-mile Fun Run finishers will receive medals. The races will be accompanied by music and festivities, including a post-race party.