If you're reading this article, you are probably one of the many runners and walkers who participate in the growing annual tradition of the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. It's a great way to lessen the guilt of a gigantic Thanksgiving feast. Even better, it's a healthy tradition which the whole family can enjoy together.
I'm thankful that my family has been so enthusiastic about an early morning Thanksgiving Day event that I've never had to race one alone. In three of my four races, someone was running alongside me from start to finish. I have run a Turkey Trot every year since becoming a runner, each race in a different state. Since Thanksgiving is such a popular holiday for travel, it's likely you have run a turkey trot race out of town, too. In this article, I will share my four Turkey Trot race experiences.
2001 Oregon Road Runners Club Turkey Trot in Portland, Oregon
My inaugural Turkey Trot. The weather was mighty cold and rainy. Before the four mile race started, something like the following was announced, "We are so lucky to have this great weather. Last year we had a poor turnout due to the freezing rain." My parents and one or two sisters participated in the walk, while another sister and I ran the longer course through the well-forested Washington Park. A large part of the course was an out and back that went down a hill and then right back up it again. The finish line was near the elephant exhibit inside the Portland Zoo. It was quite informal, as I'm not sure it was even tear-tag timed.
The awards ceremony was held immediately after, and they awarded a pumpkin pie to the person who had traveled the furthest to get to the race. That was me! A woman who had traveled almost as far sounded so disappointed to not win the pie, so I passed it on to her. Pumpkin pie isn't my favorite, anyway. The highlight of this race was that it included admission to the zoo. Since it was a holiday and somewhat rainy, there only seemed to be racers present at the zoo that morning. We had the treat of feeding nectar to lorikeets (beautiful small parrots). They were so happy to see us and eager to have some food!
2002 Dana Point Turkey Trot in Orange County, California
This is the second largest Turkey Trot in the country. My sister Judy and I did the 10K run, running together the whole way, and wearing matching Portland Marathon finishers shirts. The rest of my family did a 10K walk not directly associated with that event. Other race options were a kids K and three 5K races split into masters, sub-masters, and walkers/strollers Santa and his nine jingling reindeer ran by us, tossing candy canes to spectators.
The course is flat and consists of a series of four out and backs. The first half of the run was through Doheny State Park where we had a gorgeous view of the beaches and ocean. Then we ran over a bridge to an island which was surrounded by the Dana Point Marina. Running amongst a sea of docked boats was a new experience I'd be happy to repeat. We ended the last out-and-back running around some beautiful tall trees and alongside some taller cliffs. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.
I loved the outdoor expo. I got to try different flavors of eFuel before I ever saw them in Austin. I picked up some cute Orange County Triathlon Club socks from the local triathlon club. Even though it was tear-tag timing and we had registered just before the race, the race results were posted online with my name and location by the time we got home.
2003 Louisville YMCA Turkey Trot in Louisville, Kentucky
My third Turkey Trot was a mid-sized race and not nearly as small as my boyfriend Jay had promised. "You'll place for sure." The weather was back to cool and rainy. My warm-up consisted of hanging out in the YMCA to stay dry. The race was approximately four miles. Part of the fun was guessing how long the course actually was. The participant with the closest guess wins a prize. It ended up being just barely over four miles.
I don't recall any significant hills as the course made its way through nearby neighborhoods. This was probably my best performance in a Turkey Trot as I negative split the race. Once past the halfway point, I started counting all the people I passed and was thrilled that no one passed me! This was another tear tag finish and no results posted immediately after the race. I had no clue how well I did in my age group, only that I didn't place because they didn't call my name during the awards ceremony. I may be remembering wrong, but I think they were awarding frozen turkeys for first place.
2004 Thundercloud Turkey Trot in Austin, Texas Finally, a Turkey Trot close to home! On race morning, I registered and picked up my packet. I was impressed with how long, yet speedy the lines were. My favorite part of this race was getting two $5 Thundercloud gift certificates instead of a race shirt. It didn't look like a lot of people were taking that option, but it was a nice option to have!
Jay and I ran the 5 mile race together in matching RunTex 30K finishers shirts. Not long after the 9:30am start, I realized that the long sleeved shirt was not ideal race clothing. It warmed up quick.
The course is more hilly than you might expect for a central Austin race. The route takes you around and through the University of Texas campus and finishes by Waterloo Park. It may not be the first or second largest Turkey Trot around, but the race still entices numerous participants.
We didn't stick around to see what the post race awards ceremony was like or if there was one, because we met our local training buddies on top of a nearby parking garage to celebrate the holiday.
This year, I'm not sure if I'll be able to participate in a Turkey Trot, but someday I'd like to try out Dallas. eight mile Turkey Trot. They have bragging rights to the largest Turkey Trot in the nation! Whether you are with family or not this upcoming holiday, I hope you are able to volunteer, run or walk in the nearest Turkey Trot!
Bio: Julia Weatherby makes her living traveling the country as an IBM technical consultant. In her non-professional time, she is a Turkey Trot runner, triathlete, writer, graduate student and ARC board member.
This article originally appeared in Running Austin, a bi-monthly publication of the Austin Runners Club.