Thanksgiving is one of our biggest running days of the year. Why?

There was just one race featuring 38 people in Ames, Iowa, back in 2006, and what it has become since then is yet more confirmation that running is a Thanksgiving staple in the United States as much as the turkey at this point.  

The American Turkey Tradition is billed as “the world’s largest Thanksgiving running festival” by All Community Events, the company that puts it on each year. For 2024, it will partner with 22 different Thanksgiving Day turkey trots and half marathons held in 12 states around the country. Tens of thousands of runners are expected to participate, and that’s likely just a small fraction of those planning to run before they eat on Thursday.

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

When was the first turkey trot?

The YMCA Turkey Trot in Buffalo, New York, which was established in 1896, is considered the oldest consecutively-run footrace in the world. The inaugural race featured six runners competing on dirt roads in a five-mile cross-country race. As many as 14,000 runners will participate in the 129th annual YMCA Turkey Trot on Thursday.

How many people run on Thanksgiving? 

The website Run Signup, an online race management tool, told USA TODAY this year it had more than 1 million participants registered in 922 Thanksgiving Day races as of Monday. The figure will continue to grow up until race day and it’s likely only a fraction of how many runners will take part in every race around the country. 

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. 

Why are turkey trots popular?

Thanksgiving and running meld together well.

Thanksgiving Day races often feature multiple distances, like a 10K for adults and a 5K that allow for children to walk the course if they choose. They are “approachable challenges,” as Starykowicz put it, and the entire household can participate. There’s also usually a charity component attached to the event.

“It’s really tied to it’s very much a family holiday,” Goode said. “You have multi-generational families that are together and want to do things together. It allows participation from multiple people and it builds a family tradition.”

The accessibility lends itself to increasing popularity, and the exercise pairs well with a holiday that’s also about eating a lot of food afterwards.

“It makes people feel like they’ve earned the right to indulge that evening,” Starykowicz said. “Most of the people who are running on Thanksgiving are people who won’t compete in a running event the rest of the year, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s people coming together for themselves as well as their community.”

Tips for running on Thanksgiving

The Cleveland Clinic recommends those running on Thanksgiving, particularly participants who don’t run regularly, follow some guidelines to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.

Pick a manageable distance
Train by running a few miles ahead of Thanksgiving
Run with a group
Wear comfortable shoes
Dress for the weather
Hydrate