Thousands of Georgians this week are slated to participate in turkey trots, gearing up to run everything from a mile to a half-marathon. One Kennesaw mom is embarking on a mission to ensure that women who have long felt intimidated by the sport will have the confidence to participate by this time next year.
Tatiana O’Hara, a project manager and leadership consultant, is launching a women’s run club in metro Atlanta focused on building community, particularly people with slower paces who previously might have shied away.
“It’s not that slower runners don’t exist, it’s just that we don’t show up because we don’t think we belong,” O’Hara said in a recent interview. “And so I just wanted to create a community where everyone felt like they belonged, whether they run a 13, 14-minute mile like me or they’re walking a 22-minute mile.”
Beginning in December, O’Hara’s group, Best for Last, will host free monthly group runs in Kennesaw and Atlanta. The organization also has a virtual component, where members can share training tips and connect with other runners on private social media channels, and will offer premium memberships with additional perks.
O’Hara, 30, is herself new to the sport. She began running for the first time in summer 2023, just seven months after giving birth to her son.
“I would see people running on the sidewalks in the morning and just think, like, who would choose that?” she said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
O’Hara initially struggled to keep up a continuous jog for 30 seconds but kept at it, using running apps and learning that she didn’t have to sprint to be a runner. A breakthrough came after she completed her first 5K with her best friend that December, proving to herself that she could set difficult goals and accomplish them.
From there, O’Hara went on to complete several more races, including the AJC Peachtree Road Race this summer and the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler. It culminated in her running her first marathon in Savannah earlier this month.
O’Hara has built a following on social media by posting videos about her training runs, recovery routines and the pinched static nerve injury that nearly sidelined her goal of running a marathon. Her videos often feature quick cuts as she reads out her mile times.
“At any given time I’m a wife, I’m a mom, I’m a daughter, I’m a friend, I’m a co-worker, I’m a business owner. I’m always needed,” she said. “But when I’m running that’s just my me time. It gives me that time to just disconnect and recalibrate with myself, so that I can be all the things that I need to be as soon as my run is over.”
The launch of Best for Last comes at a time when running’s popularity is increasing, fueled in part by the broadening of the sport.
Participation in running groups is exploding — its rise fueled by everything from the socializing and accountability to the possibility of meeting that special someone. Ditto for organizations catering to different subgroups within the sport, including slow runners.
That surge in interest has translated to higher participation levels in races, from marathons to turkey trots.
More than 21,400 Georgians finished turkey trots in 2023, according to Jay Holder, executive director of Running USA, a nonprofit that advocates for the running industry. That’s a 30% increase from a decade earlier but still slightly down from the pre-COVID highs logged in 2017 and 2018.
Credit: Sugarloaf Turkey Trot
Credit: Sugarloaf Turkey Trot
O’Hara said that almost 1,000 people from around the world have signed up as virtual members of Best for Last, especially after the group was profiled on Good Morning America earlier this month. She said she’s already received interest from people who want to launch chapters in other cities.
On Thanksgiving, O’Hara plans to run the Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, which starts and ends at Center Parc Stadium in Summerhill. In addition to bragging rights at the Thanksgiving table, completing the turkey trot will earn her another accolade: a Triple Peach medal for competing in Atlanta’s three premier races: Thursday’s race, the Peachtree and the PNC 10 Miler.
“If you look up a marathon runner on Google, you’re not going to find a picture of me, but that’s something I just had to really find my confidence in over time and realize that we can set a new standard of what a runner can look like,” O’Hara said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
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