New for Turkey Trot: gobble-bobbles

Bobbleheads spark some of the most feverish behavior among collectors, including overnight camp-outs and line-cutting.

But to receive one Thanksgiving morning, all you have to do is finish in the top 100 of the 5-kilometer or 10K race at the Times Turkey Trot.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the event, organizers are giving away what they're calling "gobble-bobbles" to the top 100 male and female runners in the 5K (3.1-mile) Wingding and 10K (6.2-mile) Turkey Trot.

Each jiggling turkey doll has a caricature-like head and body attached by a metal spring to the feet. Around its neck is a bronze medallion that reads "25th Anniversary" on one side and "Top 100 Finisher" on the other.

"Actually, we thought about doing this last year, but we didn't have the design ready and the orders in time," Turkey Trot race committee chairman Skip Rogers said. "It's something different, and it's perfect timing coming on the 25th anniversary."

Rogers said the committee ordered 1,000 gobble-bobbles, with the first 400 going to the top finishers. The rest will be sold for $10 apiece, with proceeds donated to local charities.

The top three male and female finishers in the overall, masters (40 and over) and grand masters (50 and over) divisions also will receive trophies with gobble-bobbles mounted onto a marble base. The male and female winners in the 1-mile Gobbler will get the same trophy.

Normally, the top 100 finishers have been awarded decorative coffee mugs, which have become collectors items among those who have run through the years. The coffee mugs can still be purchased for $10 this year.

"We know people really liked the coffee mugs, but hopefully the bobbleheads are a hit," Rogers said. "We wanted to have some with the awards, and what's more fun than a bobblehead?"

YOU KNOW YOU WANT ONE: The gobble-bobbles will help commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Times Turkey Trot. Event organizers will give the bobbleheads to the top 100 male and female runners in the 5K Wingding and 10K Turkey Trot.