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Turkey trots are footraces, usually of the long-distance variety, held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The name is derived from the use of turkey as a common centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner. A few races in the United Kingdom during the Christmas period are described as turkey trots. (Turkey is traditionally eaten at Christmas there.) [1] In the United States, many courses used for these Thanksgiving events are run at a certified USA Track & Field road race distances between 5Ks and a half marathon; others are informal fun runs between 1.0 mile (1.6 km) and 5 km. The fun runs are often run as charity benefits and feature runners in costumes, particularly as turkeys. The oldest documented turkey trot, a still-ongoing annual event in Buffalo, New York, dates to 1896. [2]
The Atlanta Marathon, which ran on Thanksgiving from 1981 to 2009, was the last full 26.2-mile (42.2 km) marathon to be run on the holiday. Since 2010, the Atlanta Track Club eliminated the marathon distance on Thanksgiving but continued to host a half marathon. Both the Yonkers Marathon and the Detroit Free Press Marathon (then known as the Detroit Motor City Marathon) started out as Thanksgiving Day races before moving to other dates. [3]
In 2021, Molly Seidel participated in the Berbee Derby held in Fitchburg, Wisconsin and set the record for the fastest run for an individual dressed as a turkey. [4]
Name | Location | Inaugural race | Distance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Turkey Tradition | (various, 27 locations) | (various) | A series of races in multiple cities; [5] [6] claims to be the world's largest Thanksgiving running festival and listed 27 races across 12 US states in 2019. [7] | |
Berwick Run for the Diamonds | Berwick, Pennsylvania | 1908 | 9 miles (14 km) | Name changed from Berwick Marathon in the early 1980s. [8] |
Buffalo Turkey Trot | Buffalo, New York | 1896 | 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) | The oldest continually running public footrace (established in 1896) in the United States. [9] 14,000 runners annually. [10] |
Concord Turkey Trot | Concord, Massachusetts | |||
Cuero Texas Turkey Trot | Cuero, Texas | Features a unique twist on the tradition in which the participants are all actual domestic turkeys. This event is now held on the second weekend of October (coincidentally the same weekend as Canadian Thanksgiving). | ||
Dallas Turkey Trot | Dallas, Texas | 1940s | 8 miles (13 km) | More than 25,000 racers annually. |
Dana Point Turkey Trot | Dana Point, California | 1977 | Attracts over 18,000 people to the Dana Point Harbor in Southern California, and has donated over $500,000 to local charities. [11] | |
Feaster Five Road Race | Andover, Massachusetts | 1988 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | |
Hyde Park Pilgrim Run | Kansas City, Missouri | |||
Invesco QQQ Half Marathon | Atlanta, Georgia | Was the nation's largest half marathon run on Thanksgiving morning, originally a marathon and half marathon from 1981 to 2009, but was raced only as a half from 2010-19. The race was cancelled in May 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that moved the Peachtree Road Race to the Thanksgiving date. [12] Between 1981 and 2009, the event also coincided with the Atlanta Marathon, making it the longest distance for a turkey trot in the United States. [13] | ||
Kitchener–Waterloo_Oktoberfest 5K Fun Run | Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada | 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) | Held on Canadian Thanksgiving | |
Manchester Road Race | Manchester, Connecticut | 1927 | 4.748 miles (7.641 km) | |
Mile High United Way Turkey Trot | Denver, Colorado | Held on Thanksgiving Day in Washington Park for over four decades. [14] | ||
Plymouth Turkey Trot | Plymouth, Massachusetts | Part of America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration | ||
Run to Feed the Hungry race | Sacramento, California | 1994 | Attracts over 31,000 runners annually. | |
San Francisco Turkey Trot | San Francisco, California | Takes place in Golden Gate Park on Thanksgiving Day. | ||
Schuylkill Navy Run | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1899 | 5+5/8 mi | Put on by Boathouse Row in Philadelphia. |
Silicon Valley Turkey Trot | San Jose, California | 2004 | 5km, 10 km | Has over 25,000 participants. |
Smoke the Turkey Trot | Sylvania, Ohio | 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) | Goes through Saint James Wood neighborhood and regularly has over 2,000 participants. Many participants adorn costumes or wear Michigan/Ohio State colors (the OSU/UM football game is generally played on the fourth Saturday in November). | |
Tampa Bay Times Turkey Trot | Clearwater, Florida | Annual attendance for this event reaches over 17,000 registered racers. | ||
ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot | Austin, Texas | 1990 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | 20,000 people normally participate [15] |
Troy Turkey Trot | Troy, New York | 1916 | 5km, 10km, 1 mile [16] | There were six runners in the inaugural race, but it is now one of the largest and oldest turkey trots in the United States. |
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain.
The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is an annual marathon held in Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia. The mission of the MCM is to promote physical fitness, generate community goodwill, and showcase the organizational skills of the United States Marine Corps.
The Detroit Free Press Marathon is a 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) race run every third Sunday in October in Detroit, Michigan, United States, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, since 1978. The marathon course is international and has featured the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel for all but two years of its existence. The current course crosses the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel between Detroit and Windsor. Due to its use of the tunnel, the race is able to boast that it has the only official underwater international mile in the world, as the tunnel runs underneath the Detroit River. The race is a USATF-certified, Boston-qualifier course.
The Dallas Turkey Trot is an annual turkey trot footrace over an 8.2 miles (13.2 km) course through the city of Dallas, Texas (USA). There is also a 5k fun run/walk. Participants may choose to register for the 5k as a timed or untimed runner.
The Peachtree Road Race is a series of two American 10-kilometer runs held annually in Atlanta. After being held on Independence Day from 1970 to 2019, the race was cancelled temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic after originally being set for Thanksgiving. It is the world's largest 10k race, a title it has held since the late 1970s. The race has become a citywide tradition in which over 70,000 amateur and professional runners try to register for one of the limited 60,000 spots. The event also includes a wheelchair race, which precedes the footrace. In recent years, the race also has a special division for soldiers stationed in the Middle East. The race attracts some of the world's elite 10K runners and has served as both the United States' men's and women's 10K championship.
The Crim Festival of Races is an annual road running event with several races and walking events. The original distance was 10 miles and is the marque race as "The Crim" with its infamous Bradley Hills and blue line to keep runners on course. The Crim has been held in August in Flint, Michigan since 1977. It draws runners from around the world from countries such as Kenya, Russia, and Ukraine. The race attracts approximately 50,000 people each year. The festival is one of the Flint Parade of Festivals.
The Atlanta Marathon is an annual marathon held in Atlanta, Georgia, except in 2021 where it was held in Hampton, Georgia on the premises of Atlanta Motor Speedway because of governmental restrictions. On the same day, a half marathon is also held, and some years also feature a 5K run.
The Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race, more commonly called the Feaster Five, is a 5-mile road race held annually in Andover, Massachusetts, United States, on the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day. It is one of the Bay State's largest five mile races. The race has been held every Thanksgiving morning since 1988, and is one of a number of races across the nation known colloquially as a "Turkey Trot."
The Utah Valley Marathon (UVM) is an annual marathon foot-race in Northern Utah held on the first Saturday of June. The marathon course is USA Track & Field (USATF) certified and is a Boston Marathon qualifier.
Lisa Uhl is an American runner. She is a four-time NCAA Division One champion, former NCAA record holder in the 10,000 meters, and the sixth fastest American woman to ever cover that distance. She competed in the 10,000 meters in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She competed for Iowa State University.
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The Buffalo Turkey Trot is an annual 8K Thanksgiving footrace held in Buffalo, New York each Thanksgiving Day. The Buffalo Turkey Trot, a popular fundraiser for the local branch of the YMCA, runs five miles down Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.
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The Turkey Trot is the primary fundraising activity for the 1st Keyworth Scout Group.