As the holiday season approaches and families begin to make plans for celebrating, it is easy to forget about one activity in particular: Turkey Trots! Turkey Trots are typically five-kilometer races, run mainly by families and adults as a way of celebration, taking place either on Thanksgiving Day, or near it, hence the name “Turkey Trot.”
Turkey trots have grown in popularity over the last decade, as more families have decided to incorporate exercise into their holiday celebrations. According to RunSignUp, last year, about 1.1 million people participated in 936 races all across the country, signaling a 21% increase from 2023.
“I think that turkey trots have grown in popularity recently, especially because people want to create family experiences and show holiday spirit,” said senior Abby Farrell. Turkey trots are definitely a great way to show the holiday spirit, due to the fact that over 82% of turkey trots support charitable organizations, according to RunSignUp. In 2024, turkey trots as a whole raised over three million dollars for charity.
However, for some families it may be difficult to participate in turkey trots each year.
“I think it would be really hard to do a Turkey Trot if you were cooking for a large group or traveling,”said Theology teacher Ms. Terese Halm. “I couldn’t do one since I pick up my mom and grandma to drive down to Peoria.”
Thanksgiving Day is busy for many families, so for some, participating in a Turkey Trot is not an option.
“I have never participated in a Turkey Trot. It has just never worked out. However, I have done many other neighborhood runs,” said junior Owen Gottfred, a member of the boys cross country team.
The popularity of Turkey Trots has influenced the beginning of other festive neighborhood runs as well, such as the Santa Run that takes place in Arlington Heights in the month of December.
Social media has continued to play a role in advertising Turkey Trots to a greater public who can and want to participate in these festive runs.
“As a runner, I often get ads for races. I actually have been seeing a lot of ads for Turkey Trots, especially on Instagram,” said Ms. Halm. This holiday season, turkey trots are continuing to become more and more popular!