Local Run Team to Attend 8th Annual Tybee Turtle Trot

Savannah, GA, April 25, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Atlantic Foot and Ankle Specialists Run Team will attend the 8th Annual Turtle Trot 5k Tybee Beach Run on April 27th, 2013. The Turtle Trot will take place at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center located next to the Tybee Pier, Tybee Island, GA. Runners packet pick up will begin at 6:30am with the Walk/Run beginning at 7:30am to be followed by the release of a Loggerhead Sea Turtle patient back to the ocean at 9:00am. Participants will also have a chance to meet the Marine Science Centers mascot Scute and learn all about sea turtles at the GSTC’s Education Station located in front of the Science Center. Individuals can register at TybeeTurtleTrot.net or on Active.com.

During nesting season, from May to October, Loggerhead Sea Turtles nest on the Tybee beaches. Females dig their nest, lay eggs, and head back to the ocean. In 60 days, the babies hatch and, on their own, make their way across the beach and out to the sea.

The Sea Turtle Project volunteers conduct daily dawn patrols to check for turtle nesting activity that occurred during the night. When they find a nest, the site is evaluated and nests below the high tide line are relocated. To protect the nest, the site is marked off and then monitored daily. Prior to the hatch date (60 days), the volunteers start "nest sitting." When the Ping-Pong ball-sized eggs hatch and the hatchlings emerge from the nest (called a boil), Sea Turtle Project volunteers watch over them as they make their way across the beach and into the sea.

About Atlantic Foot & Ankle Specialists
The Atlantic Foot & Ankle Specialists Run Team is an extension of the practice which works to promote healthy living in the communities they serve, as well as the companies "Keeping the Community on their Feet" program, which collects and distributes gently used shoes to those need in the community. Shoes can be donated at any of their office locations, as well as Fleet Feet in Savannah. Representatives will be on hand to collect any donations at the Turtle Trot.
Opening its doors in 2003, Atlantic Foot & Ankle Specialists has quickly grown into the largest podiatry practice headquartered in southeast Georgia. With office locations in Hardeeville, Savannah, Statesboro, Hinesville, Claxton and Statesboro the practice employs over 40 individuals.