Finish Line Moments: Rebuild, Remember, Run - Dave O’Connell and the Palisades Comeback

Two days before Thanksgiving, the biggest running day of the year, with more than 1,300 Turkey Trots nationwide in 2025, we turned our attention to a community rising from unimaginable loss. Gretchen connects with Pacific Palisades Turkey Trot founder Dave O’Connell, who lost his home in the devastating January 2025 fires and is now leading the charge to bring back a beloved tradition in the very heart of the destruction.From Dave’s origin story in the running world to the incredible resilience of the Palisades community, this episode honors both the fragility and the strength of what binds us together. With compassion, reverence, and deep connection - including Gretchen’s own lived experience with Sonoma’s fires - this conversation is a testament to the human instinct to stand up, lace up and rebuild.It’s also an episode dedicated to the people who make these races more than races. Please take a moment to learn about and support the Live Like Braun Foundation, created in memory of Braun Levy, a beloved presence at the Palisades Turkey Trot whose spirit continues to inspire: livelikebraunfoundation.org