Annual Turkey Trot in Atlantic Beach honors legacy of the late Dr. Leon Haley Jr.

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Former UF Health CEO, who died successful WaveRunner mishap this year, participated successful 5K successful past years

News4JAX Reporter Corley Peel is astatine the Beaches Town Center wherever the lawsuit is honoring a salient wellness person who passed distant abruptly earlier this year.

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Hundreds of people in Atlantic Beach started their Thanksgiving Day with a run—as portion of the 7th yearly Tony’s Turkey Trot for Brain Injury Awareness 5K.

The tally astatine the Beaches Town Center successful Atlantic Beach connected Thanksgiving greeting honored the bequest of Dr. Leon Haley Jr, the erstwhile UF Health CEO who died successful a WaveRunner mishap successful South Florida successful July.

Mayor Ellen Glasser and the metropolis of Atlantic Beach proclaimed Nov. 25, 2021, arsenic the “Dr. Leon L. Haley Jr. Day of Thanks 2021.”

UF Health co-hosts the yearly lawsuit with the Tony Meduri TBI Fund to payment encephalon wounded consciousness and the holistic attraction of encephalon wounded survivors successful the Northeast Florida community.

Haley was committed to assemblage outreach and successful erstwhile years participated successful the 5K, speaking and handing retired medals astatine the decorativeness line.

Before the turkey, hundreds of radical ran done the Beaches Town Center successful Atlantic Beach for the Tony’s Turkey Trot.

“It’s the lone mode to commencement a Thanksgiving is present astatine the formation moving a Turkey Trot. It’s great,” said Shelly Sharp.

Some radical wore costumes.

“We conscionable similar to travel down and spot each our friends and spot each the costumes and what radical are wearing and however blessed everyone is to commencement the time off,” said Erica Hoffmann.

Michael Brethour dressed up arsenic a turkey. He said it doesn’t assistance his performance.

“Actually, I tally a small spot slower,” said Brethour.

Christian Murdock, 11, had large plans aft the 5K.

“I’m going location and having a bully Thanksgiving meal with my family,” said Murdock.

The runners said it is worthy it, burning disconnected calories earlier the turkey.

“We get to devour immoderate much pie,” said Sharp.

The archetypal Tony’s Turkey Trot 5K tally was held connected Thanksgiving greeting successful 2015. Since then, the lawsuit has tripled successful size and was voted Best of the Beaches 5K. In 2020, UF Health Jacksonville and The Tony Meduri TBI Fund Inc. co-hosted the lawsuit with modifications to guarantee runner information owed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of those information features stay successful spot this year.

To larn much accusation astir the event, sojourn www.facebook.com/tonysturkeytrot.