Nearly 20,000 to Participate in Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

Prior to sitting down to a Thanksgiving Day feast, thousands of people will walk, jog and run in this year's Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in San Jose on Thursday morning.

Nearly 20,000 participants—up from 14,100 last year—have registered so far to run, walk or push themselves in wheelchairs in the seventh annual Turkey Trot, sponsored by Applied Materials.

"It's starting to become a family tradition," said Patricia Vera, a spokeswoman for the company. "It's not just for professional athletes. It's for the average family who want to spend some quality time together."

Since it began in 2004, the program has raised more than $1.5 million for local charities.

Last year the Turkey Trot raised $450,000 and organizers have a goal of raising $500,000 this year.

The events will begin at 6:30 a.m. at Guadalupe River Park.

There are six events and each has an entrance fee, ranging from $10 for the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital "Kids Fun Run" to $1,000 for the "CEO/Celebrity 5K Challenge."

All proceeds beyond those needed to cover the Turkey Trot's organization expenses go to local charities.

Money raised will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, and the Children's Health Initiative of the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation.

—By Bay City News Service