A Turkey Trot Transformation
A triathlete's journey to losing 155 lb. with help from her friend "Butterball" the turkey
For thousands of runners, the turkey trot is a beloved tradition. It’s an opportunity to join family and friends for a fun morning of exercise before the big feast.
Due to the festive nature of these races, you see all kinds of crazy things- runners dressed as turkeys, pilgrims, or even pumpkin pie.
But I bet you’ve never seen an actual turkey do a turkey trot.
Well, spectators at the Lions Club 5K in Murray, Kentucky, were in for a treat when Bethany Wilhelm-Atkins rolled up to the start line (quite literally) with a rescue turkey named Butterball.
While Butterball’s personable demeanor and cheerful gobbles delighted all of the runners on course, there was a bigger purpose for this race.
It marked the culmination of a life-changing journey. Over the past four years, Bethany’s commitment to triathlon has helped her lose over 155 lb. and ignited a passion for saving animals and helping others.
With Butterball by her side, she’s proving that true physical and mental transformation can happen- one step at a time.
A Place to Be, Farm Sanctuary
Bethany Wilhelm-Atkins and her husband, Greg, own a non-profit animal rescue in Kentucky called A Place to Be- Farm Sanctuary. They take in livestock and farm animals that have been abused, neglected, or abandoned.
“We have half of Noah’s Ark out here!” Bethany laughs.
They have 25 pigs (ranging from potbelly to Mangalitsa), alpaca, goats, sheep, horses (including miniature and draft), donkey, turkeys, and chickens. They work with local animal control and the humane society to take in animals that need a home.
The non-profit was born four years ago when Bethany was going through a very difficult time after her mother suddenly passed.
“She called me the Saturday before she passed and said, ‘If anything ever happens to me, please take care of my animals.’ My mental health really went down after that,” Bethany says. “These animals have helped me overcome a lot, and I saw what a good thing it could be for others.”
Since then, A Place to Be has served as a sanctuary where people of all abilities and backgrounds can visit the farm and interact with the animals. Bethany takes some of the farm favorites, including “Loaf” the pig and “Butterball” the turkey to nursing homes, elementary schools, and local events to help raise awareness about animal rescue and mental health.
“The first part is about animal rescue, but the second part is a lot of community outreach,” she says. “I’m all about mental health. I’ve personally suffered with depression and anxiety. There aren’t a lot of resources out there for somebody going through stuff like that. I’m not a big talker and, after I lost my mom, animals were my way of healing.”
While the farm helped heal her heart and soul, Bethany was desperate for a physical transformation as well. That’s where triathlon enters the story.
Triathlon transformation
Looking at Bethany today, you’d never guess that she once weighed 330 lb. Thanks to a healthy diet of swim, bike, and run, she’s lost a whopping 155 lb. over the past four years.
That’s an entire person.
It all started when Bethany tried to register as an organ donor and was denied because of her weight.
“That was a rude awakening,” she says. “I got my act together and started working out. The first mile I walked took me 28 minutes.”
When she was at her heaviest, Bethany hurt everywhere, all the time. It took her a couple of days to recover from a one-mile walk. When she went out to a restaurant, she worried that she might break the chair she was sitting on, or that she wouldn’t be able to fit into a booth.
While the turning point for Bethany was being rejected as an organ donor, her triathlon journey began (as most do) with an invitation from a crazy friend.
“My friend Bonnie likes to have a glass of wine and send me these crazy ideas for things we should do. She said, ‘Why don’t we do a triathlon?’ I didn’t know what that was, but I said I’d do it! I had no idea triathlon was swim, bike, and run…”
But Bethany fell in love with the sport.
She did a series of sprints and Olympics and completed her first half-ironman at 70.3 Augusta in 2023.
“I replaced going out to eat with triathlon,” she says. “Everything revolves around food. We go out to eat to celebrate birthdays, when you’re sad, and for holidays. Now, instead of going out to eat, we go out for a hike. We get outside and make so many more memories.”
“When my feet hit the ground in the morning, I’m ready to go. I love it, and I’m finally living my life.”
Although her husband, Greg, doesn’t compete, he’s the best sherpa she could ask for. “He loved me at my biggest, and he loves me now. I couldn’t have done all of this without him. Sometimes I think he believes in me more than I believe in myself,” she says.
As she progressed in her training, Bethany decided she wanted to tackle a full Ironman and set her sights on Ironman Maryland in 2024. Sadly, she experienced episodes of swimming-induced pulmonary edema. SIPE is a serious condition that affects triathletes and swimmers due to an exaggerated increase in pulmonary vascular pressures in response to immersion in cold water. (American College of Cardiology).
Because the condition can be deadly, Bethany’s doctor advised her to pull out of the competition, just two weeks before the race.
Still, she wasn’t deterred.
“I decided to do my own hometown Ironman,” she says. “I swam in the pool and people biked and ran the marathon with me. My pet pig even hung out at an aid station. How many people can say a pig came to their Ironman?”
“Little kids who come to the rescue have seen me lose all my weight, and they ask me about running and biking. There’s a little boy in the neighborhood that I go on run dates with. They were bummed out about Maryland, but I told them that you can always make the best out of a bad situation.”
“We’re doing more testing and I will have vengeance. I will do Ironman Maryland next year.”
Bethany has since visited a leading expert on SIPE, Dr. Richard Moon at Duke University in North Carolina to undergo testing, and she’s hopeful about her 2025 goals.
Who would’ve thought you’d see a turkey at the trot?
So on Thanksgiving Day, Bethany toed the start line of a local 5K with her rescued turkey, Butterball, in a running stroller. Super chill and laid back, Butterball didn’t need to be strapped in; he took it all in stride while enjoying the ride.
What’s it like pushing a 30 lb. turkey in a stroller? “My soul died and my will to live quickly faded,” Bethany says.
“Butterball is a big guy! I don’t know how those parents push kids in strollers.”
Butterball is approximately 2-3 years old and weighs a whopping 30 lb. He’s a white-breasted turkey, which is the type you’re most likely to find at Thanksgiving dinner…
But this Thanksgiving, Butterball had the last laugh. Each time they passed a fellow runner, Butterball would let out a triumphant gobble so Bethany never had to say “on your left.”
FYI, a turkey would probably beat you in a race. Wild turkeys can run up to 25 mph and fly up to 55 mph.
“The volunteers loved when Butterball did his cute, little gobble,” she says. “One boy we passed said, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m slower than a turkey!’”
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Running the turkey trot with Butterball was all in good fun, but more importantly, it helped create awareness for the mission of A Place to Be.
“By being so open with the community, Butterball is very laid back and doesn’t care about anything. I recently took him and one of his girlfriends, Karen, to an elementary school. He strutted around and let the little kids pet him and feed him treats,” she says.
A popular activity at the farm are reading nights, which serve a dual purpose of promoting literacy and socializing the animals.
“The turkeys are always the first ones booked for reading night. They will climb into your lap and fall asleep,” she says.
You can imagine that running a 20-acre farm with so many animals is pretty expensive. A Place to Be survives on donations from the community, personal funds, and fundraisers.
A big hit is their annual Easter Egg Hunt where they hide over 10,000 eggs on the farm. They also have Valen-swine’s Day where “Loaf” the pig will hand-deliver your valentine. This time of year, they invite Santa out to the farm to take pictures.
“We do fundraisers, but a lot of it comes out of our pockets,” Bethany says. “We have some supporters who are absolutely amazing, but I don’t like to ask for help. Anytime we’re in a financial crunch, I like to raffle off something that was donated by the community. I don’t ever want to be that rescue that always asks for donations, and we’re very fortunate because our community is absolutely amazing.”
If you feel inspired by the mission of A Place to Be and would like to help out, you can Venmo a donation to @Bethany-Wilhelm-Atkins. Also, follow A Place to Be on Facebook and TikTok.
And now for the answer to the question you all want to know. Does Bethany have turkey at Thanksgiving dinner?…
“We try to stay away from pork and turkey, but we aren’t vegan,” she says. “However, it does make me look at the turkey on sale at Costco a little differently. That might be Butterball’s uncle!”
Fun Turkey Trot Statistics
*(Run Sign Up)
Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the year for running in the US.
In 2023, more than 920,000 people signed up for a turkey trot in 833 races across the US.
The oldest Thanksgiving run in the US is the 8km YMCA Turkey Trot. It was first held in Buffalo in 1896, and it’s the longest-held running race in the world.
In total, turkey trots raise approximately $2 million for charity each year.
In 2023, turkey trots took place in all 50 states. Pennsylvania, Texas, and Florida offered more than 50 turkey trots each!
News & Notes
Each year, I write a 5-part series of race guides for Triathlete Magazine for the upcoming season. Here’s the 2025 Guide to the Best Ironman Races in the US.
Here’s the 2025 Guide to the Best 70.3 Races in the US. I had to lobby to get my favorite on the list. See if you can guess which it is!
We’re enjoying off-season after racing Ironman Arizona three weeks ago by hiking with Ellie Mae, planting a garden, doing Christmas light runs, and attending Christmas parties.
Off Season Fun! 
Matt has the best collection of ugly Christmas sweaters he wears during December at the clinic. This one was perfect for our local track club party because it has Santa crossing a finish line! Check out his fanny pack filled with chocolate chip cookies and glass of milk… Don’t forget to upgrade and join the Triple Threat Life Club- 20% off an annual subscription until December 31, 2024.
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Tis the season for giving, and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you who read this newsletter. See you Thursday!
Thank you so much for sharing such an inspirational story! This is why we need running newsletters - because, for the most part, we all find running as a mechanism to challenge ourselves and cope with shit going on in our lives. It's a beautiful way to fight back.
Love hearing stories like this.