One late November day in 1899, John Coleman decided he’d had enough of the race he was running in Buffalo, New York. According to local lore, he hopped into a wagon and finished that way instead. Officials found out he cheated and subsequently disqualified Buffalo’s team, giving a victory to their rivals from nearby Rochester.
“We are still living with the guilt, both for this and for losing four Super Bowls,” jokes Geoffrey Faulkner, the communications director at the Buffalo Niagara YMCA.
Faulkner’s YMCA has the distinction of hosting the oldest continuously running turkey trot in the country, which happens on Thanksgiving morning every year. Faulkner notes proudly that Buffalo’s 8K race is older than the Boston Marathon. The first was in 1896, just three years prior to Coleman bringing ignominy upon the chilly town. Only six people ran it. This year, the Buffalo Turkey Trot celebrates its 123rd anniversary, and 14,000 people will run the sold-out race. (To put this in perspective, about 50,000 ran the NYC Marathon this year.) The trot even has a “quarter-century club,” which includes about 300 people who have been running the race for more than 25 years.
Buffalo is far from alone. Turkey trots have become a national tradition on Thanksgiving morning itself, or on the weekends before or after, in communities all over America. It’s the most popular type of road race in the country and draws the participation of whole families. While some races are competitive and offer prize money, most are refreshingly inclusive, require zero training, and are meant to be for fun only. People often dress up in silly costumes. Pie is a common prize. The starting line at the Buffalo Niagara YMCA Turkey Trot. Buffalo Niagara YMCA
The boom in turkey trots is due to a recent surge in interest in running and fitness in general, but of course, we can’t forget that Thanksgiving is all about gluttony. A lot of people hope that loping along with a turkey hat on their heads for a few miles will mitigate some of the calories they’ll be consuming a few hours later. And really, what’s more American than eating a huge meal and feeling guilty about it? But the races are now about something closer to what the holiday should represent: family and community.
A turkey trot is a fun Thanksgiving tradition that has been around for over 100 years. It is a long distance foot race, usually between 3-13 miles, that takes place on or around Thanksgiving day Turkey trots first started in Buffalo, New York in 1896 and have since become one of the most popular races in America
A Brief History of the Turkey Trot
The first turkey trot was held by the local YMCA in Buffalo in 1896 It was an 8km cross country style race held on Thanksgiving day that only attracted 6 runners, with just 4 finishing. Over the next 20 years, more trots started popping up along the east coast and midwest. Some of the earliest trots were held in New Orleans (1907), Berwick PA (1908), Cincinnati (1909) and Troy NY (1916)
The popularity slowly grew over the first half of the 20th century. In 1927, one of New England’s biggest races, the Manchester Road Race, got its start on Thanksgiving day. The famous Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot kicked off in 1967 with just 107 runners.
Participation started to swell in the 1970s and 80s as running became more mainstream. Costumes also became popular during this time, with runners dressing up as turkeys, pilgrims and other autumnal characters. Races across the country started capping participation as interest grew. The Buffalo trot hit 10,000 runners in 2008 and other big races can see 20,000+ finishers.
Why Are Turkey Trots so Popular?
There are a few key reasons these Thanksgiving runs have become so widespread:
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Family Friendly Fun – Turkey trots are all about fun for the whole family. Many people use them as a tradition to kick off the holiday. The costumes and overall festive vibe make it a lower key race.
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Balance Out the Feast – Running 3-13 miles before the big meal provides a bit of calorie balancing for a day of feasting! People enjoy being active before sitting down for the holiday.
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Charitable Component – Many turkey trots partner with charities and use the race as a fundraiser. Runners feel good supporting a cause.
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Tradition – For many runners, trotting has become part of their family’s Thanksgiving tradition. People of all ages participate year after year.
Turkey Trot Participation is Booming
In 2011, around 684,000 runners finished a turkey trot. By 2016, that number grew to over 961,000 finishers. And new trots are starting each year in communities across the country. The Des Moines trot started in 2014 and already draws 4,000 participants annually.
Some of the largest trots today include:
- Buffalo Turkey Trot – One of the original trots from 1896 still going strong with over 14,000 finishers
- Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot – 20,000+ finishers make it one of the largest trots
- Atlanta Turkey Trot – This trot was part of the Atlanta Marathon, the only full marathon held on Thanksgiving
- Dana Point Turkey Trot – Southern California race that draws 18,000+ participants
How to Find and Participate in a Turkey Trot
If you’re looking to participate in a turkey trot this year, here are some tips:
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Search Online – Look for turkey trots in your area by searching online. Sites like RunningintheUSA.com list hundreds of trots.
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Check Local Race Calendars – Local running stores and running clubs often list upcoming races. Check their websites.
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Plan Ahead – Popular trots can fill up fast. Register early to guarantee your spot.
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Have Fun with Costumes – Channel your inner turkey or pilgrim! Costumes are encouraged at most trots.
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Bring Family & Friends – Many people use trots as a family tradition. Make it a group outing.
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Support a Charity – When possible, participate in a trot that supports a charity you care about.
So put on your running shoes and pilgrim hat and take part in this fun Thanksgiving tradition! Turkey trots are a great way to celebrate the holiday with family, friends and your community.
The history of turkey trots
While pretty much everyone agrees that Buffalo’s was the first turkey trot, it’s trickier to pinpoint exactly when the races started to be called that. There’s some indication that actual turkeys did a “turkey trot,” according to a Washington Post article about how turkeys used to get around before reliable refrigeration and trains existed. Farmers used to have “turkey drives,” herding live groups of them 30 miles or more to markets to slaughter and sell.
In Texas in the early 1910s, an entrepreneurial rancher decided to turn the spectacle of hundreds of turkeys walking down the street into an actual parade. He called it a turkey trot, which was also the name of a popular dance at the time. According to Atlas Obscura, some of these turkeys even wore leather booties, a sort of ornithological precursor to Nikes.
So it’s all very meta: A dance named after turkeys became an actual event featuring turkeys running down the street. And now we’re the turkeys. The Buffalo YMCA Turkey Trot runners in 1911. Buffalo Niagara YMCA
Trots — the run, not the dance or the turkey transportation method — started to become popular on the East Coast in the early 1900s, then spread through the country, according to Runner’s World. New Orleans started one in 1907. The Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, which is one of the most competitive trots and attracts world-class athletes because of a decent prize money purse, was founded 1927. The winning male and female runners will win $7,000 each, up from $4,000 last year.
Women didn’t run in Buffalo’s turkey trot until 1972, five years after the first woman ran the Boston Marathon and roughly correlating with when women started being allowed to partake in formal road races. Mary Ann Bolles was the first woman to run the trot in Buffalo, and she placed 142 out of 169 finishers. Faulkner says that in 2017, Bolles’s granddaughter brought her family to Buffalo and they all ran the race together.
Why turkey trots are so popular
When a national brand tries to capitalize on something, it’s a probably a good sign that it’s pretty trendy. This year, Michelob Ultra, the 95-calorie beer that has been trying to align itself with fitness culture, announced a promotion: If you post a picture of yourself running a turkey trot on social media and tag it #WillRunForBeer, the brand will send you a coupon for free beer.
Think that’s random? Then here’s some interesting news out of Wisconsin: According to an article in Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel this month, the most Googled term in that state last November was “turkey trots.” While Wisconsin is not necessarily a surrogate for the whole country, turkey trots are very much front of mind.
“In 2017, there were more than 1 million finishers at over 1,000 [turkey trot] events. That trend is expected to continue this Thanksgiving,” says Rich Harshbarger, the CEO at Running USA, a nonprofit running industry group. That’s up from about 680,000 in 2011. A few years ago, Thanksgiving surpassed the Fourth of July as the most popular day to run a race. In Buffalo, the number of participants has doubled in the past 20 years, up from about 6,000 in the mid-1990s.
Jeff Dengate, the “runner-in-chief” at Runner’s World magazine, says the popularity of turkey trots over the past few years correlates with an increased interest in races in general and a surge in new runners taking up the sport over the past decade. In the past year, though, interest in some formal road races, especially trendier ones like mud runs, has waned. One of the reasons may be that some races became too expensive, as per an article in the New York Times last year.
But as Dengate notes of turkey trots, “A lot of them are very cheap.” Entry fees are commonly in the $30 to $40 range, and this usually includes a commemorative T-shirt and all the selfies with people wearing pilgrim hats that you could hope for. The New York City Half Marathon for 2019 costs $145, for comparison.
Then there’s the motivation of knowing you’re going to eat a week’s worth of carbs in one hour. Depending on how much alcohol you drink, a typical Thanksgiving dinner can pack in 3,000 to 4,500 calories. Normal daily caloric intake needs, depending on your age, weight, activity level, and a slew of other factors, are usually 1,800 to 2,400 for the whole day.
But most turkey trots are in the 3- to 5-mile distance category — not nearly enough to burn off your dinner.
“We’re totally lying to ourselves. If you run a 5K [3.1 miles], you’re probably going to burn 300 to 500 calories,” says Dengate. “The math doesn’t work there. You’re definitely not burning off what you’re going to eat, but it makes us feel good for a day.”
Feeling good should probably be your prime motivator, not eating an extra helping of pecan pie. After all, there’s the “runner’s high” phenomenon, that feeling of well-being some people get after exercising. You’ll need all that goodwill to buoy you for the angry political argument you’ll inevitably have with your problematic uncle at dinner.
Master the Turkey Trot: Beginner’s Guide to Dance
FAQ
What is the point of a Turkey Trot?
Where did the Turkey Trot originate?
What is the Turkey Trot tradition?
Why are turkey trots so popular?
What is a turkey trot?
Turkey trots are footraces, usually of the long-distance variety, held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The name is derived from the use of turkey as a common centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner. A few races in the United Kingdom during the Christmas period are described as turkey trots.
Is the Turkey Trot a real race?
No, we’re talking about the popular annual race that happens all over North America around the Thanksgiving holidays: the turkey trot. The holiday race began in New York in 1896. That first year, six runners ran a 5-mile cross country race on dirt roads through downtown Buffalo.
What is a Thanksgiving turkey trot?
The Thanksgiving turkey trot is a fun way to kick off the holiday season and enjoy a community run while burning off some extra Thanksgiving calories. Most turkey trots also have a charitable component and benefit local food banks or related causes.
Why do people run the Turkey Trot every year?
People have run the Turkey Trot every year since — through blizzards and pandemics — making it the oldest race in North America. The Turkey Trot spread across the United States, and the number of participants continually increased. Thanksgiving Day is now considered the biggest running day of the year.