Having just received an electronic reminder and a postcard from the Feaster Five race in Andover, MA, I have been thinking about Turkey Trots I've run over the years.  Whether they were small local affairs like the one in Brattleboro, VT by the Red Clover Runners, or big affairs like the Feaster Five, they were a good chance to run with family members and burn some pre-feast calories.  Most provide strong support for feeding programs and other comunity groups.

This year I'm planning to run in the 6th Annual Thanksgiving Morning 5K Turkey Trot to Benefit LARS in Laurel, MD with my son, Robb. (If you're in the area, it's a great little local race.

Here are five big ones from across the country.  For many more, you can go to active.com and type in your zip code.

Feaster Five - Andover, MA

This is the race I usually do with my daughter.  With about 7,000 runners & walkers, it's a zoo but aside from the first 500 runners, not too many take it that seriously - it's a time for family and friends.  It's fun just to listen to the Boston accents as runners swap tales.  

Like many Turkey Trots, the Feaster Five has a great fun run for kids that goes at 7:45 AM.  

You can register for either a 5K or a 5-miler which are run simultaneously.   Be ready for a fairly serious hill in the first mile.  Finishers get apple pies to take home.

YMCA Turkey Trot -- Buffalo, NY

Established in 1896, this race mark its 115th start on Thanksgiving morning, making it the oldest continually running footrace in North America (even older than the Boston Marathon)!  It's an 8K race with 10,000 participants that rolls down Delaware Avenue finishing at the Buffalo Convention Center.  Register online here.

Turkey Trot -- Springfield, MO

One of the largest Thanksgiving races in the mid-West, the Turkey Trot features over 5,000 runners.  They donate over 5000 pounds of canned goods for the Ozarks Food Harvest. Online registration closes a few days before the race.  This is a 5K run/walk along a paved flat course.

Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot

Now in its 43rd year,  "Dallas' Way to Begin Thanksgiving Day" had over 33,000 participants last year.  There's a 5K and an 8-miler and they start early so register and pick up your packet early.

Father Joe's Thanksgiving Day 5K - San Diego, CA

Starting in beautiful Balboa Park, the race brings in funding for the 1.7 million meals Father Joe serves annually to San Diego's homeless.  The race is family and pet-friendly, so even if you aren't a competitive runner it's still a great event.  Fresh oranges at the finish line.  Last year, about 2500 runners took part.

turkey logo by DCO site      kids race photo by di_the_huntress     training logo from SpringfieldMOCVB

crowd photo from Dallas Turkey Trot site   

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This morning was grey and foggy, about 45 degrees, perfect for running.  Jen picked up Feaster Five packets earlier so it was less hassle.  The biggest pre-race issue for me was figuring out how to attach the ChronoTrack D-Tag system, a timing system that replaces the chips previously used.  It wasn’t that hard -- but different.

After an early morning walk with the dog, we headed out towards Andover with a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee stop.  As you merge into I-495, you start picking up lots of other racers heading toward the Andover start.  I parked near the highway, since the dog was to wait in the truck (and I wanted few distractions -- it seems that every tenth family brings a dog), and walked to the track where the kids runs were held.

For the first year, our grandson Mac was running the fun run.  It’s a great environment -- with individual races for each two year age group, with longer distances up to a quarter mile for the 11-12 year-olds.  An Andover motorcycle cop, lights flashing, leads each heat out at the start and every kid gets a prize and lots of fan support.

Jen and I went off to stand in line with thousands of others for the Porta-Potties and then wedged into the big starting crowd.  9,000 people take up a lot of space and everyone ignores the signs listing paces.  Walkers end up with the 7:00 minute mile folks -- but no one get too freaked out.

Short speeches by local heros, and this year, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Bill Rogers, and then the singing of God Bless America by a nine-year-old boy, and the national anthem by a woman, and we were off -- shuffling toward to start line.

The first mile is always slow -- with walkers walking five abreast, and faster runners darting back and forth.  One guy said later, “ I think I ran laterally longer than I did straight ahead.”  Hey, it’s a Turkey Trot -- know one is looking for a PR.

There’s a pretty serious uphill just before the first mile which is always tough, especially if you’ve gone out too fast.  This year, I chugged up it, albeit slowly, and felt like I had some energy left as we turned the corner and started a shallow downhill.  Shortly afterward, the five mile runners merge with our 5K and two guys came by, at a 5 minute pace, racing neck and neck.  Soon, I saw Joan Benoit Samuelson come by in the right lane as we chugged along.  She ended up winning the woman’s five-miler -- still remarkable at age 52.

As you near the finish, you can hear the announcer but you also know that there is one more climb -- sort of an insult -- up to the line.  It pays to save just a bit so that you can finish strong. 

The post-race is a lot easier without having to stop, untie and undo timing chips (at least for 69 year-olds it is) so the timing strip, which stays with you, allows you to walk over to the tables of goodies in the parking lot.  Each finisher gets an apple pie as well so it’s always a balancing act of bagels, water, bananas, and pies as you head to the car.

In addition to justifying a turkey meal later on, there’s a good feeling to a race like this.  Not only do thousands of dollars go to the Y, the hospice, and other beneficiaries, there’s a nice family-friend atmosphere that is uplifting.  It’s also very special to be able to run with my daughter and grandson -- I feel very blessed.  Happy Thanksgiving.

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