The Thanksgiving holiday is coming up next week, one of my favorite times of the year. I begin salivating for turkey, gravy, and stuffing as soon as the leaves begin falling from the trees. The food is great, but for many Thanksgiving also means hosting or travelling to visit family. Depending on where your family falls on the crazy/sane scale when they all get together, you may consider this a blessing or a curse. Regardless, it’s going to happen, so you better get used to it. Traditionally, a Turkey Trot is run on the Thursday morning of Thanksgiving, giving runners a way to break a sweat, get out of the house, and feel a little better about themselves gorging on calories before falling asleep on the couch during the Lions game.
But, let’s be honest, trying to rally a crew – or even yourself – to the start line on Thanksgiving day can be a chore, especially if Aunt Claire forgot she was supposed to bring the mashed potato and needs everyone to pitch in or Thanksgiving WILL BE RUINED! It just may be better to get that Turkey Trot self-esteem booster out of the way before the big day. Good thing there are plenty of holiday-themed runs in your area this weekend, including the 32nd annual Turkey Trot in Pinehurst, N.C. Registration is open up till 45 minutes before the gun and distances range from a mile to half marathon.
If you want to hold off and run your Turkey Trot on Thursday, try the Charlotte Turkey Trot 8K, the largest in the Southeast with 10,000 runners.
