2,700 Work Up Appetites in Dana Point Turkey Trot : Race: Joey Gomez of Placentia wins for fourth time; Buffy Rabbitt of Costa Mesa is top woman.

Joey Gomez won the 15th annual Turkey Trot in 31 minutes, 11 seconds, then about 20 minutes later, people at the 10-kilometer race heard sleigh bells: Santa Claus and his reindeer had crossed the finish line.

More than 2,700 runners took part in the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce event, making it the largest Thanksgiving race on the West Coast, according to organizers. Some people reveled in the spirit of the holidays and dressed up as Kris Kringle, Rudolph and other reindeer.

Some pushed baby strollers. Some perambulated. And some ran with a competitor’s seriousness.

“I take it pretty serious,” said Gomez, 32, of Placentia, adding that he had run about 70 miles a week for three months to train for the race. He’s well known to the Turkey Trot, having won three previous times.

The women’s winner, Buffy Rabbitt, finished in 34 minutes, eight seconds. It was only the second time the 24-year-old Costa Mesa resident had run the 10-K race, held at Dana Point Harbor. She specializes in five-kilometer events and hopes her training will one day take her to the world cross-country championship.

Thanksgiving is not lost on the runners, however. Gomez had plans to get together with relatives. “I’m going to eat all day and watch football,” he said.