Turkey Trot Runs Have Become As Normal as Feasts on Thanksgiving

Running on Thanskgiving has become as much of a tradition as the food eaten at dinner.

To kick off Thanksgiving weekend in Cocoa Beach, 4,382 runners and walkers showed up for the Cocoa Beach Turkey Trot. Next up starting Friday night the Cocoa Beach Art Show. / MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

People have a lot of traditions during Thanksgiving. Some families will wake up early to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some enjoy watching March of the Wooden Soldiers on television, which people also refer to as Babes in Toyland.

Gathering around inside to watch football is another yearly tradition a lot of people partake in. But, the one thing that is starting to gain a lot of popularity is Turkey Trot runs.

The American Turkey Tradition began in 2006 in Ames, Iowa with only 36 people participating in the race. Now, they hold several events around the country as running before feasting has become as popular as anything.

Known as “the world’s largest Thanksgiving running festival” by All Community Events, which is the company that puts the races together, the American Turkey Tradition has partnered with different races across the United States.

What started as a small, single event has blossomed into something that is hosted in 12 different states. In addition to Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin all have partnered races.

In total, 22 events are held and tens of thousands of people are expected to participate in the races. This is only one company around the country, as there are even more racers who will be hitting the street for a run before settling in for the day.

“It’s probably one of the greatest athletic traditions in America if you think about numbers,” All Community Events president Peter Starykowicz said, via Mark Giannotto of USA Today.

Back in 1896, the first Turkey Trot was held in Buffalo, New York by the YMCA. Many consider that race the longest consecutively ran event in the world, as no one could have foreseen what would come out of it on that inaugural race day.

Approximately 14,000 people are expected to participate in the 129th running of the YMCA Turkey Trot this year. The original had six people running a five-mile, cross-country course that brought runners across dirt roads.

In total, more than 1 million people are expected to participate in some sort of Turkey Trot or race on Thanksgiving according to Run Signup, an online race management tool who revealed the data to USA Today.

“Run Signup marketing director Johanna Goode estimated her company approaches 50 percent market share in the United States for online race registration. She also noted Thanksgiving Day race participation at Run Signup was up 10 percent last year, with races featuring anywhere from 10 to 20,000 runners,” Giannotto shared.

What makes Turkey Trots so popular is the varying distances that are normally offered. First-time runners, casual competitors or people looking to really challenge themselves can all come together in one place to run.

If your family or group of friends features people of different levels, it is something they can all do together.

At the end of the day, that is what Thanksgiving is all about. Friends and family come together, giving thanks for everything they have. Everyone expresses that differently, and some families do it by enjoying a run together.