Why we gobble...
WHEN: Thanksgiving morning 9am
WHERE: UBTech Campus (320 Aggie Boulevard Vernal,UT 84078)
WHY: Proceeds of this event benefit each year's recipient families! We choose local people in need and raise funds for them.
This event is the perfect start to your Thanksgiving morning!
It starts at 9am on the morning of Thanksgiving at UBTech college on 320 Aggie Boulevard in Vernal, UT. At the event, there are lots of opportunities to donate, participate in raffles, purchase gobbler merch, mingle and have refreshments!
Registration and ticket purchase are available prior to the event online and the morning of the race, in person starting at 8am.
The registration fee is $25 and 100% of the proceeds go to the families in need. The purchase of raffle tickets is also donated 100% as all the items for raffle have been donated by local businesses and residents! Exclusive Gobbler merch and T-shirts are available for purchase prior to the event on the website. A limited amount of merchandise will be available the day of the race as well as vintage merchandise from prior years!
Online registration begins in September and will be open until the day of the race. Follow our instagram for latest updates!
Each registrant will need to sign a liability waiver which is included in your registration. Registrants this year will receive a medal and finisher prize while supplies last.
We are so grateful for each sponsor, family, runner, business and individual that participates in this event! We always say "little by little a little adds up to a lot." Any and all donations can help them get through the hard times but seeing the generosity of people around them will help heal their hearts. As a collective whole we an be a shoulder to lean on during some of their hardest times. Come participate in our comm"UNITY" gobbler run Thanksgiving morning!
MEET THE 2026 RECIPIENTS!
Jason Workman
Jason has been an integral part of the Uintah Wrestling program for the past 26 years. He is currently the head coach of the Uintah Jr. High Wrestling team and he takes pride in helping our young athletes become successful both on and off the wrestling mat.
In 1993, Jason was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He was thankful to be approved to participate in a clinical trial and spent the next nine months at the University of Utah Hospital having intense chemotherapy followed by radiation five days a week. The treatments were successful and he has remained cancer free.
In 2015 he began experiencing deterioration of the muscle, tendons, ligaments and tissue in his chest and was diagnosed with radiation induced heart disease. He has had seven heart surgeries since and was told last year his aortic and mitral valves had severe valve regurgitation and stenosis, and the arteries with stents were collapsing. Unfortunately, he was not a candidate for open heart surgery locally due to the complexity of his condition so he was referred to The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In June, he had very extensive open heart surgery where they discovered his valves had progressed from severe to critical. While he survived the complex surgery, the extended hours on the bypass machine resulted in complications including cardiogenic shock, collapsed lungs, A-Fib, heart failure, kidney failure, and hypervolemia. He spent the next month in the hospital recovering and was thankful to return to Vernal after spending six weeks in Cleveland. Although he has a long road to recovery, Jason tackles every obstacle head on with the same strength, determination and positivity that he instills in his wrestlers every season.
Adalae Wheeler
Marissa and Brett Wheeler have lived in Vernal for all of their married life and have 4 gorgeous kids, Tatum, McCoy, Finley and Adalae. They enjoy spending time together, doing DIY projects, playing in the yard, watching sports and all sorts of things a young family might do. However, this year has looked very different for them since their youngest girl received a cancer diagnosis at age two.
Adalae was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in May of 2026. After some alarming symptoms, her parents took her to the Emergency Room to explore the cause of her stomach pain. Ada had been complaining of pain when the car went over bumps. Thinking they were going in for an appendicitis, they were shocked to find a large mass, taking up the majority of her abdomen. They rushed her out to primary children’s where she received emergency surgery the next day to remove the mass. They were able to remove it, but it had ruptured causing cancerous cells to be spread throughout her abdomen. She is now in the middle of a 10-month chemotherapy treatment plan. She has received 3 weeks of radiation as well and they drive weekly to Salt Lake for treatments. They recently found that Ada has a rare genetic mutation called Dicer1 that raises the risk of developing certain cancerous and non-cancerous tumors. She will have to receive testing often for the rest of her life. Her father Brett and her brother McCoy also were found to have this condition.
While Ada is going through some of the hardest things any person, let alone a 3-year-old, could go through, she is incredibly resilient and she doesn’t stay down for long. You will still find her playing with her siblings and being an adorable 3-year-old even while she is fighting for her life.
Destiny Rollins
Destiny Rollins grew up in what she called a very normal childhood. She graduated high school and college and she loves music and crafts. But her normal life changed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 months before her 21st birthday. Destiny's treatment was extensive including chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, and reconstruction. She lost all of her hair, but still kept going. Even during chemo, she finished her degree from SLCC while also working full-time at Smith’s. After successfully completing her treatment plan, her medical team decided to put her on a medication that blocks estrogen in order to prevent further cancerous cells. Two years later, she met the love of her life, they later married and decided to have a family. With the approval of her doctor, she quit taking the medication so she could conceive, and they welcomed a son to their family in 2022 and a daughter in 2023. She went back on the medication between kids and as she was able.
In 2025 Destiny found a hard lump on her mastectomy scar and knew something was wrong. After a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, it turned out to be Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer on her liver. Later, in August 2026, scans showed the cancer had progressed rapidly. What started as one spot on her liver has turned into more than twenty in the space of a year. It has also spread to her bones including her spine and ribs. Her treatment has been a rollercoaster and has left her feeling tired and sore.
Despite all of her health challenges, Destiny is determined to live life to its fullest. She is always holding on to every tiny glimmer of good news, and says making memories with her husband, her 4 year old son and her 3 year old daughter is what keeps her going every day.
We are so grateful to be able to support these families for the 2026 Gobbler season!
ABOUT US
Behind the Scenes
RANDI HONEYCUTT
Founder - "All the things"
KELLY MORRILL
Design - "The Webmaster"
ASHLEE COONRADT
Merch - "The Looks"
ANNALEE FOSTER
Radio, editing - "The Brains"
OUR STORY
Meet the Gobbler Girls!
Randi Honeycutt and her husband BJ started this event about 15 years ago to support local families in need. Since, it has only grown and helped more and more families! "We don't HAVE to do this, we GET to do this," Randi says when asked why she does it. "Yes it can be hard to leave family and run in the cold on Thanksgiving morning, but we are going to show up to help those battling cancer, illness, tragedy or loss of a loved one. It's one day to show them we care. They don't get a choice. We do!" Annalee came to Randi's rescue just after the event was founded. Kelly has joined forces with the girls in recent years after seeing how being a part of this event can change so many lives and Ashlee came to the march rescue in recent years. Since then they have created many many memories together helping numerous wonderful families in our home town.
Each year these girls end up being the face of the gobbler because of all the time and effort they spend in the community gathering sponsorships, doing radio ads, creating and gathering raffle items for the event and taking care of the many tiny details that no one would even think about.
Although these girls help out in the open, there are many many local businesses and volunteers that lend a helping hand both behind the scenes and at the event. The gobbler girls always want to recognize each individual that plays a part in pulling off the Gobbler!
Every single donation, every single racer, every single volunteer and every penny donated makes a huge impact on these families each year. Little by little, a little always adds up to a lot!