It’s a Thanksgiving truth universally acknowledged: Some families are turkey trotters and some are not. For those born into the trotting tradition, waking up before 7 am on a holiday morning, pulling on layers and a novelty costume, and racing a 5K in the cold feels like a beloved tradition. For everyone else, it could sound like torture.

For those who participate, Thanksgiving is the one day a year that allows us to indulge our competitive spirit against our families. But for health-minded folks, it’s also an excellent way of burning off energy and calories before the feast of the day—the average American consumes almost double the FDA’s recommended daily calorie intake during their lunch alone. Given that running burns between 300-400 calories per 5K, which is around 100 calories per mile, this workout definitely allows for a more balanced approach to the day. 

The tradition is as old as the (modern) Olympics. The first event was held in 1896 in Buffalo, New York, when a group of six runners ran a five-mile loop around the city. Today, it’s more popular than ever, becoming a grassroots community event and, often, a charity fundraiser. More than 1.1 million people participated in over 900 races across the US in 2024, according to Run Signup, a race registrar site, which was a 21-percent increase on 2023’s record-breaking numbers. Thanksgiving is now the biggest day for running in America’s annual calendar. 

The Turkey Trot stands out as a symbol of originality in this era of mass running participation, where celebrities like Diplo are hosting run clubs and Harry Styles is running marathons. Today's events are broad in scope. The Silicon Valley Turkey Trot draws professional competition and offers substantial prize money, while the humble, smaller events are often won by high school stars and washed-up (and occasionally hungover) former college athletes. There’s an allure to the throwback neighborhood run that doesn’t take itself seriously.

Rare are the occasions today when we can liberate ourselves from adult norms and do something silly just because. You only need to scroll social media today to see how serious fitness has become, both as personal pursuits and as a fast-growing industry. A Turkey Trot is a way to let loose while we sweat. “I love a rinky-dink hometown trot,” says Laura Green, a content creator from Upstate New York. “Last year, they were still blowing up the inflatable arch that marks the start line after people had started running under it. I think that’s so fun.” 

Some runners don turkey-leg hats, while others sport merch-style T-shirts. The 2021 Olympic Marathon bronze medallist Molly Seidel goes one further: She races in a turkey suit, a tradition she started in college after winning the NCAA Cross Country Championship. It’s proof that even elites need a light reprieve from the seriousness of sport.

“It was almost an anti-competitive thing for me, right after winning one of the biggest races of my life, I could goof off a bit and run around in a turkey costume,” she says, of the suit she bought from Amazon. She ran her local trot in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, with her sister. 

Seidel’s mentality is emblematic of the wider turkey trot ethos—chase playfulness, not personal records. And it’s this that makes these events such a great entry point; for keen runners, it’s an opportunity to engage with your family in a way that’s more aligned to the life you live, and the habits you’ve built. It’s a chance to connect while moving your body in a way that feels right for you. It’s a good excuse to get everyone off the couch. 

“It gives you such a good excuse to lay around the rest of the day and tell everyone how hard you worked that morning,” says Siedel, the Olympian. “You can make it as serious or unserious as you want, and everyone is just genuinely happy to be there and together.” And, maybe, if you’re lucky, you might just get passed by an Olympian in a turkey suit.