Turkey Trots: Thankgiving Day Races
Photo from turkeytrotphilly.org.
Sure, Thanksgiving is all about remembering that first feast shared by the pilgrims and Indians, and being grateful for everything we have. But let’s be honest: It’s also about chowing down turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing and pumpkin pie until we’re ready to burst.
To get your appetite going—and offset some of dinner’s damage—kick off your holiday with one of these Turkey Day races.
Trade in the morning football game for this five-mile race beginning at the Please Touch Museum. Running the fast and flat course to Memorial Hall and back is a great way to burn off some pre-feast calories, so you can have your candied yams and eat them, too.
$25, 8:30 a.m., Please Touch Museum, 4231 North Concourse Drive
Join the Bucks County Road Runners for this 22-year-old Turkey Day tradition. The course weaves through both residential streets and open fields, so the scenery never gets boring. Oh, and costumes aren’t just for Halloween: Runners sporting the top three Thanksgiving-themed outfits take home a prize!
$30 ($40 on race-day), 9:05 a.m., 1 Summit Square
Nazareth YMCA 5th Annual Pumpkin Pie 5K
Run the Pumpkin Pie 5K so you can indulge in another slice for dessert. The course’s gentle hills will work up a sweat and rev your appetite so you can feast away.
$35, 9 a.m., Nazareth YMCA, 33 South Main Street, 610-759-3440
Abington YMCA Gobble Wobble 5K
Join in this neighborhood tradition for a quiet run through Abington’s residential streets, ending with an “Olympic-style” lap around the Y’s outdoor track. A post-race DJ and free raffle gets the holiday party started early. Online registration is closed, but you can sign up that morning at the event.
$30, 9 a.m., Abington YMCA, 1073 Old York Road, 215-884-9622
Philadelphia Insurance Companies Turkey Trot
This five-miler along Forbidden Drive benefits Face to Face Germantown, which provides meals, basic health care, legal and social services, computer training and creative arts studios to the neighborhood’s disadvantaged residents. Now in its 19th year, organizers hope the event will top last year’s fundraising record of $115,000.
$30, 9 a.m., Northwestern Avenue & Germantown Avenue, 215-849-0179
Who says you shouldn’t play with your food? All entrants to this race will be provided with a frozen turkey to heave their hardest. Start building those biceps now, because the male and female who can shot-put their bird the farthest and finish the 5K under a specified time get a free pair of shoes from Chester County Running Store.
$25, 8 a.m., Montgomery Community College, 101 College Drive, Pottstown
