Inaugural Tortoise Trot 5K Takes Off

Mattamy Homes will host its inaugural race at the Kiplinger Conservancy Trails at Newfield in Palm City on November 12

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Mattamy Homes will host its inaugural Tortoise Trot TK at the Kiplinger Conservancy Trails in Newfield on November 12. Photo by Dawn McDonald via Unsplash
Mattamy Homes will host its inaugural Tortoise Trot TK at the Kiplinger Conservancy Trails in Newfield on November 12. Photo by Dawn McDonald via Unsplash

Mattamy Homes will host its inaugural Tortoise Trot 5K at the Kiplinger Conservancy Trails in Newfield, Mattamy’s highly anticipated town in Martin County, on November 12. The race will include a dedication ceremony establishing KC Trails—Newfield’s vast network of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails—as the native environment surrounding Martin County’s first-ever gopher tortoise recipient site and preserve.

The event, which will start two and a half miles past 2370 Southwest Citrus Boulevard in Palm City, will begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude with a post-race celebration open to participants and their families, featuring food trucks, and more.

Gopher tortoises, which are a threatened species, must be relocated by developers to a safe environment when construction impacts their habitat. When Mattamy Homes realized there were no suitable options nearby—the closest location was approximately 100 miles north of Martin County—developers created a 30-acre gopher tortoise site, able to house 60 tortoises, within Newfield.

Tickets for the Tortoise Trot are $50. Every ticket includes a $5 donation to Treasure Coast Wildlife Association, and each participant will receive a medal and shirt. Tickets can be purchased online at Race Roster and the event will be capped at 100 participants. To register, visit raceroster.com.

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