On the Trot

Elius Graff Sets New 10K Record in 10th Edition of Local Thanksgiving Day Race

Story & photos by STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

On  a picture perfect Thanksgiving morning in the Palisades, 19-year-old Emily Suby put all of those gathered at Palisades High School’s Stadium by the Sea in a patriotic mood with her stunning rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner and a few minutes later a sea of children flocked to the starting line for the inaugural Kids’ Fun Run, a one-lap sprint around the track. Then, race founder David Houston hopped on his mint green Vespa pace scooter to send the field of 5/10K participants on their way in the 10th edition of the Pacific Palisades Turkey Trot, powered by reaktr.ai.

“I’ve been singing my whole life but I was pretty nervous,” admitted Suby, who attended Corpus Christi School, is a pre-med student at NYU and whose debut EP “Letters Unsent” will be released by summer 2025.      

The first runner across the finish stripe at the 50-yard line was 26-year-old Stephen Sloan, whose time of 16:15 for the 3.1-mile route through the El Medio Bluffs was seven seconds ahead of runner-up Luke Malinda  but 39 ticks off the record pace of 15:36 set last year by Wlliams College trackster Luke Zanuck.

“I grew up in Berkeley but my parents live here so I’ve run this race before,” said Sloan, a triathlete training for the Ironman World Championships. “It’s a little steep on the uphills but I like it.” Malinda, 22, who ran at Menlo College, called it “one of the best 5Ks I’ve been to.”

The first female finisher in 19:18 was 17-year-old Maddie Giorgio, a junior at Marlborough High who placed 10th in 18:07 in Division IV at the CIF state cross country championships in Fresno two days later.   

“I ran this last year with my dad but I got here super late,” said Giorgio, a lifelong Beverly Hills resident. “I like this course. A lot of my friends from school live in the Palisades.I didn’t have any time expectations—I just wanted to get a good race in before state. I kind of started off in the middle and said ‘I gotta get out of this pack.’” Santa Monica High track coach Tania Fischer set the 5K record of 18:47 in 2014.

Pali High alum and 2023 Post Cup Award winner Ava Baak, who was second among women last year, took third for the ladies in her hometown  race this time in 22:21.    

Instead of going down and back up Temescal, the new 10K route circled back through the El Medio neighborhood and setting a new time standard for the 6.2-mile distance was former Seattle Pacific University cross country and track runner Elius Gaff, whose 32:01 beat the previous record (set in 2019 by former Indiana University cyclist Craig Taylor) by 26 seconds.   

“The sunny weather today was welcome—I’m used to it being cloudy, raining and cold,” said Graff, who resides in San Jose and was staying at his fiancee’s sisters house in Marina del Rey. “My college buddy [Pali High grad Ben Hansen, who placed fourth in 34:11] is from here and he  encouraged me to run it with him.”

Winning the women’s 10K in 39:31 was 40-year-old Marissa Kellogg, who is originally from Malibu but now lives in Palo Alto. Not far behind in 40:12 was 2022 winner and Village resident Charlotte Kane, whose 9-year-old son Thor was first in his age group in the 5K in 22:39.

The event has grown in popularity since it debuted in 2013 thanks to its sponsors. Partnering this year with reaktr.ai, a groundbreaking initiative by Exela aimed at revolutionizing industry, were The Bay Theater, Hästens, Equinox, Palisades Village and Friendship Circle.

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