Dru's Vues, too: Traditional Boulevard Bolt 2011 attracts 8,200

Nashville First Lady Anne Davis with Mayor Karl Dean

First Lady Anne Davis with Mayor Karl Dean before The Boulevard Bolt

Over 8,200 Nashvillians ran The 18th Annual Boulevard Bolt on Thanksgiving Day. Mayor Karl Dean coached the 2011 Bolt runners:

"I invite you to follow my philosophy today which is to start off slow and then taper off in this race. Enjoy yourselves have a great day and a great Thanksgiving." Mayor Karl Dean's advice to Boulevard Bolt runners, listen here: MayorDeanAdvice2011Nov24

Brentwood's Sean Keveren, 21, was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 24:28. Close behind him was the first woman across, Sonja Friend-Uhl, 40, with a time of 27:34.

Other prominent runners included Santa with his reindeer, a waddle of penguins and quite a few turkeys. Civic leader Annette Eskind whizzed past while Nashville notable Lydia Lenker took the boulevard at a slower pace.

Cheering from the sidelines were Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-7th) and Speaker Emeritus Jimmy Naifeh (D) both of whom had family members competing in the race.

Mayor Karl Dean told the crowd the traditional Thanksgiving race helps bring Nashville together and also helps those less fortunate by raising funds for the homeless. "This is a great cause and a great day," he said.

The mayor, who has led walks on Metro's greenways and beyond, called the event "very consistent with our message that we need to make Nashville a more active, health city." He admonished the runners, "Don't stop after today: keep exercising, keep walking, keep running."

The Boulevard Bolt, organized by volunteers, is a collaborative effort of Immanuel Baptist Church, St. George’s Episcopal Church and The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom in Nashville.

Since 1994, the Boulevard Bolt has grown from 2,500 participants to over 8,200 participants in 2011. The Boulevard Bolt ranks among the largest 5-mile races in the country donating $1.6 million to the homeless community in Nashville.