For many who live in Evanston, the Evanston Flying Turkey 5k is as much a Thanksgiving tradition as the turkey and mashed potatoes.

Every year on Thanksgiving morning, over 3,000 Evanston residents gather at the start line by Arrington Lagoon, wearing the signature colorful winter hats, chatting with neighbors and friends and hoping to preemptively work off the Thanksgiving calories. 

“It’s a good start to the day. It’s good to get a run in before feasting; it makes you feel better about what you’re eating [that night],” said ETHS senior Finn Lennon.

Since it began in 2011, the race has become a popular event for families to attend together.

“When we do our packet pickup, it’s very rare that we are just handing out one packet,” said Jonathan Cain, one of the race organizers. “Usually, if somebody’s coming, they’re picking up for their mom and for their brother and for their son and for their aunt and for their cousin five times removed and everybody else that’s coming in for Thanksgiving.”

The iconic Flying Turkey 5k winter hats, given out with a different design every year, were inspired by the large family turnout at the race. After giving out sweatshirts and t-shirts for the first few years, the race organizers switched to hats after realizing they were more convenient for family pictures. 

With the hats, Cain explains, “You don’t have to worry about people needing to change [for the picture].” 

Another staple of the Flying Turkey 5k is Cain himself, or as he’s known to many race participants, “The Turkey.” Cain runs the race in a turkey costume each year, and everyone who beats him receives an “I beat the Turkey” pin. 

“Getting that is an accomplishment for some people. You’re wearing that around town the rest of the day; it’s a little bit of a point of pride there,” comments Cain.

In its 14th year, putting on the race is a simple task for the Flying Turkey organizers. With few changes made to the race each year, preparation begins only six months before, in May. The ease of planning is partially due to the help of the city of Evanston, who has been “easy to work with the whole process,” according to Cain.

The city permits the race organizers to use the shelter next to Arrington Lagoon, which allows them to set up for the race the night before.

Runners follow a similar course each year – down Sheridan Road, around Long Field, through the Northwestern lakefill – although it will be slightly altered this year due to the temporary football stadium on Northwestern’s campus.

Despite the minor change, the Flying Turkey 5k will surely be packed again this year. 

“[People] love coming back to it. They love the atmosphere. They love being around all of the other Evanstonian neighbors and … enjoying a nice, healthy day before going off and eating to their hearts’ content,” concluded Cain.

When owner Matthew Abitbol opened Commonwealth Running Company in 2020, he wanted it to be different from every other running store.

“I didn’t want a running store that catered specifically just to runners. … Runners can go anywhere and get that,” said Abitbol.

Having been a new runner himself at one point, Abitbol knew the feeling of intimidation that can come with shopping at a running store selling to those with more running experience. With his store, he sought to create a space for everyone.

“My idea was: why don’t we welcome more people to the sport? Why don’t we grow the sport and make more people feel comfortable?”

To do that, he chose the name Commonwealth to convey an atmosphere of inclusion and gave the store a unique and personal design to make customers feel comfortable.

In its 4 years of operation, Commonwealth has succeeded in appealing to runners and non-runners alike.

“The majority of our business comes from just kind of local people between, probably, the ages of 18 to 45, and … a lot of it is someone who maybe hasn’t worked out in a long time; like, maybe someone who just had kids, and now their kids are five or six, and scheduling gets a little bit easier, and they’re like, ‘I I want to get in shape,’ or ‘I want to start running,’” described Abitbol.

Just as important as its ethos of acceptance, Commonwealth’s knowledgeable and committed staff help make the store stand out.

“I have a phenomenal team,” praised Abitbol. “I genuinely, genuinely would say that we would never be where we are … without the people that work [here].”

The staff consists mostly of runners who attend Northwestern and ETHS and who bring their running experience to the job.

“A lot of people [who work here] really care about running … so they know a lot about shoes and nutrition,” says Commonwealth employee and ETHS senior Patrick Tu. “You can ask a lot of people in our store about something running, and they’ll have a personal experience.”

Additionally, instead of relying on the foot-scanning technology used by many of the national running store chains for shoe-fittings, employees at Commonwealth fit customers by hand. This allows them to better understand and address the needs of their customers and gives them a higher level of knowledge about the different foot shapes and shoe models. Their expertise does not go unnoticed by customers.

“There are lots of other big-box stores and online sites to choose from, but it really pays to have actual runners understand your needs and help you choose,” read a recent Google Review of the store from Google user Jonathan Douglas.

In addition to its excellent in-person service, Commonwealth boasts a booming online store that serves customers across the country.

Commonwealth is a sponsor for many local races such as the Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate, the Flying Turkey 5K and many others, and with the success of the online store, Abitbol hopes to contribute to even more community events.

“I love having an impact. … In [the] foreseeable future I hope to have an even greater impact locally,” Abitbol expressed.

Ever since it opened in 2020, Commonwealth Running Company has been a key component of the Evanston running community, serving everyone from walkers to marathoners with its dedicated staff, shipping shoes to customers across the country and supporting local races. Most running stores don’t do what Commonwealth does. Abitbol set out to establish a running store that was completely different, and he succeeded.

People jogging, bikes passing by, barbecues filling the air, dogs playing in the fields: these are the common sights that make up the vibrant lakefront of Evanston. But among the commotion of the trail are the members of the Evanston Running Club (ERC). Some people may run for their health, some for the challenge, but it is ultimately community that entices many runners, and it is this aspect of the sport that the ERC brings to Evanston.

Founded in 1973, the club celebrated its 50th anniversary just last year. And within four years of its beginning, its members made history by running the first Chicago Marathon in 1977, a race that it would continue to volunteer at afterwards. But beyond marathon running, the organization has offered a community for a wide range of runners with various goals.

“When people join, there are questions in their membership questionnaire,” says Tiffany Williams-Cobleigh, club president. “Why are you joining the club? And is it to be social and meet people? Is it to get better and faster? Is it to train for a marathon?”

But Williams-Cobleigh argues that there’s one predominant factor that makes people gravitate towards the club.

“Running, unlike group sports, you can do solo … You can do all of your running by yourself. So most of the people in the club want the social aspect,” she states, “whether it’s strictly social or they want to be encouraged and spurred on to be better and faster within a community. But it is the community aspect.”

The club goes to great lengths to ensure that it can offer this collective environment for every runner, hosting runs early in the morning every day of the week in various locations. But these morning runs are only a portion of what the ERC does. Volunteering and sponsorship of various local races is a staple activity of the organization.

“We’re one of the biggest sponsors for the Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate every Father’s Day,” says Williams-Cobleigh. The group also does packet pick-up for the Race Against Hate, and course marshaling and other volunteer positions for this race and the Turkey Trot.

The club participates in charity as well, hosting shoe drives that donate shoes to various charities.

“We we don’t exist on an island, we are all connected to different parts of the community through the other activities we do, but giving back to the community in these physical [and] monetary ways, through our time and our efforts and physical items, I think just it makes the community better, and we all want to live in a community where we’re all supporting each other,” says Williams-Cobleigh.

The community may make its mark on the community through its outreach for other running events, but one of the greatest impressions it makes on the runners of Evanston is the example it makes of the sport.

Chemistry teacher and girls cross country coach Gedion Yitref recounts “getting to see all walks of life at the running club.”

Joining the Evanston Running Club has allowed me to think about what running could look like for me as I get older,” says Yitref. “At some point I’m not going to get faster. It’s not always going to be about the PRs, the personal records.”

Seeing the diversity of the members of the ERC, especially in age, has been an eye-opening experience for him and a solidifying agent of his continued love for running.

“The ages vary dramatically, and [there are] some stellar 60-70 year-old runners,” he says. “When you are the minority, I think it’s very important to stick together and form communities so that we all feel supported.”

Gedion Yitref runs these streets – literally.

If you live in Evanston, you’ve probably seen him on a jog. Criss-crossing the city with the frequency of the CTA, sporting a smile and clad in colorful shorts, he’s not easy to miss.

An ETHS chemistry teacher, cross country and track coach and experienced marathoner, Yitref’s mission is to inspire others to run. Being seen is crucial to that mission.

“I think it’s important for you to be visible in order to inspire folks,” Yitref explained. “[People might see me running and say,] ‘There’s that teacher … [who’s] always running! That person looks like he’s having fun running. Maybe I’ll try to do a turkey trot, or try to do a half marathon, or try to do a marathon in the future.’”

He starts many of his runs on Evanston’s busiest streets, like Green Bay Road and Ridge Avenue, to pass by as many people as possible. So far, his strategy has been successful.

Yitref stated, “After this most recent marathon I ran, I got an email from a parent of a girl I coach that said she [now] wants to run a marathon.”

“Mission accomplished,” he grinned.

Yitref’s mission is driven by a desire for others to experience the benefits that running has given to him.

In 2012, when moved to Chicago from his home city of Seattle to teach in the city, he was a first-year teacher with no nearby family to support him. During this time of change and loneliness, running helped him, in his words, “stay stable.”

“Running was something that was tangible. It was a small victory,” he explained. “If I had a terrible day as a first-year teacher, I could fall back on my run. It’s like, ‘hey, I got my run in.’ No one can take that away from me.”

When he got a job at ETHS in 2015 and moved to Evanston, running once again supported him – allowing him to explore the unfamiliar city on foot and guiding him to the Evanston Running Club and to coaching the ETHS girls cross country and track team.

In his nearly 10 years of coaching, Yitref has made a powerful impact on hundreds of runners, forming meaningful bonds, spreading his passion for running and teaching lessons that go beyond the sport.

“Yitref has been my coach since freshman year and has been by far the most impactful person to me in my time at ETHS, cross country and otherwise,” shared senior cross country and track runner Ingrid Olko. “He cares about my teammates and I not only as athletes but as people and has always been someone I can count on to have my back and push me to be my best.”

“He has a way of making you push and believe in yourself without raising his voice. It was my first year doing cross country, and I felt seen on the team,” added freshman cross country runner Jeanine Bahanuzi.

For Yitref, the connections are the most important and fulfilling part of the job.

“I just get to learn so much more about that teenage age group, and they really fill my cup,” he remarked. “… Coaching has really just connected me to so many lives that I probably otherwise wouldn’t have been connected to.”

Yitref’s frequent cross-town trots, in addition to serving his goal of “running to inspire,” allow him to maintain relationships with his past students and runners.

“I know I’m always going to run into people [on my runs] … and that’s actually how I stay connected with my former students and athletes … it just happens naturally,” he describes.

Whether you know him as your teacher, coach or someone you always see running around Evanston, his boundless enthusiasm and desire to inspire make one thing clear: Yitref cares.