Last Sunday was a bit of a cloudy and overcast day, but regardless OrganicAthlete Victoria and Friends of Animals welcomed 23 people and two dogs to join us for this fun run/jog/walk/whatever. Victoria is infamous for holding 1st-time sporting events with hardly any participants, so this was actually a pleasant surprise.
The goal of the event is to encourage a more peaceful Thanksgiving (and every meal!) by promoting veganism. It’s healthy, better for the environment, and certainly eliminates an unimaginable amount of suffering and killing in the world.
We welcomed a wide range of people, young and old, sporty and casual. According to the sign-up poll, fully 12 of the participants were vegans, three vegetarians, and the rest selected ‘curious to find out more’ or left it unmarked.
Most of the participants were keen on enjoying a walk along the scenic waterfront, but some opted to push themselves for the 5k run.
Top finisher was long-time OA Victoria member and vegan Kevin Park, with a time of 20:33, which is doubly-impressive given he took a wrong turn and ran a bit further! Adam Moss, a member of the UVic Triathlon club and vegetarian, was close behind finishing at 20:57. Top female and 3rd overall was long-time OA friend and supporter Lysanne Lavigne with a speedy 21:24, and a minute behind her was vegan and new FoA and UVic Tri member Jenn Marr.
The tail end of the walkers strolled in at about 55 minutes, where they were cheered and welcomed with delicious vegan sweets donated by the vegan restaurant Green Cuisine. A draw followed, and over $600 in prizes and goodies were given out. A big thank-you to our generous event and OA Team sponsors Purica (for loaning the tent as well), Vega (free samples were given to everyone as well), Eatmore Sprouts & Greens, Oak Bay Bikes, Tattoo Zoo and of course Green Cuisine.
A big thank-you also needs to go out to OA and FoA volunteers Scott, Mary, Kevin, Alissa and Jess for helping out and making this come together.
For more info on why to consider a vegan Thanksgiving (including recipes) check out the Friends of Animals ‘Victoria Vegan’ site: http://thevictoriavegan.com/foa/ and the FoA Vegan Starter Guide: http://bit.ly/foa-vsg
Have a happy, vegan Thanksgiving!
Canadian Correspondent
Friends of Animals
Web Site: http://FriendsofAnimals.org
Victoria: http://TheVictoriaVegan.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2496490922
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/FoA_Victoria
FoA Vegan Starter Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/foa-vsg
Hi Victoria Vegan, Thanks for the recap! I would have loved to be there, but I had already registered to run in the CIBC Run for the Cure 5K that happened the same morning as your Turkey Trot. I know it's not possible to schedule an event on a day where absolutely nothing else is going on in Victoria, but I think trying to avoid big events like the Run for the Cure 5K would mean you'd see a much bigger turn out. Maybe something to consider for next year? :) -Eve
ReplyDeleteHey there Eve!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it's tricky finding a good day this time of the year that doesn't conflict with anything. If we wait until the following week, we sort of miss the point in discouraging people from buying a turkey corpse, and conflict with the RVM. If we went with the Saturday, people would complain that it's the 'day before the XX run'. If we did it the weekend before, it would be too early, and there was probably a run that week too (Terry Fox?)
So, we do the best we can. Personally, i think 23 people for a 1st-time event is HUGE for this city. I've organized numerous other events, and am always shocked with how long it takes for people to actually start coming out. This is a city of complacency and excuses much of the time.
Finally, i'd argue that a vegan run trumps 'The Run for the Cure', given that veganism can play a big role in cancer prevention...if more people ate well (and less turkeys!), cancer would be much less of an issue. This seems more like a 'cure' to me, than compared to all the animal testing and other awful things most cancer agencies practice.
That's my two cents on the issue, anyway. =)