Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K 2026

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K races are short road runs held on or around Thanksgiving across the United States, usually before people head home for dinner. The 5K is the standard version: more than 90% of turkey trots use that distance, though some events offer certified USATF road distances up to a half marathon and others keep things casual with one-mile fun runs. The name comes straight from the holiday table, with turkey as the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner. These races are built for mixed crowds, so a fast club runner, a family walking together, and someone jogging in a full turkey costume can all be part of the same morning. Courses vary by town, but most are simple local road routes rather than destination races, and the format works because it is easy to fit into a holiday morning. Many events raise money for charity, and costumes are common enough that turkey suits are part of the culture rather than a side joke. The tradition is old: Buffalo, New York, has a still-running turkey trot that dates to 1896 and is also the oldest continually running public footrace in the United States. The scale is huge now, with recent nationwide counts putting participation above a million people across hundreds of races in all 50 states. Some famous races have their own quirks, from Berwick, Pennsylvania’s 9-mile Run for the Diamonds to Cuero, Texas, where the local turkey trot includes hundreds of actual turkeys parading through town.