Not only is Thanksgiving Day the most popular day to eat turkey and pumpkin pie, it’s also the most popular day of the year to run a race. In fact, according to Running USA, 901,753 people finished a turkey trot in 2015, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth for turkey day running.
“The sport of running is increasingly social, so it’s no surprise Thanksgiving turkey trots are on the rise with the holiday being centered around family and friends,” said Rich Harshbarger, Running USA CEO. “Becoming such a popular running day, it seems as if nearly every community has their own turkey trot, which only strengthens the community and family focus of the day.”
In addition to the overall growth of race and finisher totals, Thanksgiving continues to see some of the nation’s largest road races taking place. The Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, in San Jose, California, continues to be the largest Thanksgiving race with 19,000 finishers in 2015, which ranks it among the top 100 largest races.
Showing to the national trend of healthy Thanksgiving Day race totals, 14 states are represented among the top 20 largest turkey trot races. Seven races hosted more than 10,000 runners, while another six had more than 7,000 finishers. The Charlotte SouthPark Turkey Trot was the largest in North Carolina with 6,549 finishers in 2015.
So, if you’ve been thinking that nearly every community has it’s own turkey trot, you’re probably right! To find a Thanksgiving race near you, check out our 8th Annual Gobbler Guide!
November 18
Apex Turkey Trot 5K
Apex, NC | 5K
Cherokee 5K Turkey Strut
Cherokee, NC | 5K
Flowers Plantation Gobble Till You Wobble 5K
Clayton, NC | 5K
Hickory YMCA Turkey Trot
Hickory, NC | 5K, 10K, 1 Mile
The Rotary Clubs of Brunswick County 5K Turkey Trot
Shallotte, NC | 5K
November 19
Bradford Park Turkey Trot
Harrisburg, NC | 5K, 1 Miles
November 23
ADVICE 5K Turkey Trot
Duck, NC | 5K
Beau’s Buddies Turkey Trot for Kids
Greenville, NC | 5K
Calabash Turkey Trot
Calabash, NC | 5K
Charlotte SouthPark Turkey Trot
Charlotte, NC | 8K, 1 Mile, Kids Run
Cold Turkey 5K
Franklin, NC | 5K
Gallop & Gorge 8K
Carrboro, NC | 8K
Gobbler’s Run 5K
Wake Forest, NC | 5K
Greensboro Gobbler
Greensboro, NC | 5K, 1.5 Mile
Hyatt’s Turkey Trot
Statesville, NC | 5K
Lake Norman Turkey Trot
Cornelius, NC | 15K, 10K, 5K
Mooresville/Lake Norman 5K Turkey Trot
Mooresville, NC | 5K, Kids Run
Ridgewood Turkey Trot
Raleigh, NC | 8K, 1 Mile
Skinny Turkey Half Marathon and Just Think First 5K
Raleigh, NC | 13.1 Mile, 5K
Thanksgiving Day 5K in Corolla
Corolla, NC | 5K, 1 Mile Novelty Run, Kids Run
Turkey Dash
Charlotte, NC | 4 Mile, 1 Mile
The Turkey Trot at Millbridge
Waxhaw, NC | 4 Mile, Kids Run
Twin Rivers YMCA Turkey Trot
New Bern, NC | 5K, Kids Run
University City Turkey Trot 5K
Charlotte, NC | 5K, Kids Run
Uwharrie Running Club’s Turkey Trot
Albemarle, NC | 4.2 Miles
Wild Turkey Thanksgiving Day 5K
Corolla, NC | 5K, Kids Run
Wrightsville Beach Turkey Trot
Wrightsville Beach, NC | 5K, 1 Mile
November 25
Kids First Turkey Trot
Elizabeth City, NC | 5K, 1 Miles
