Massive growth in turkey trots has propelled Thanksgiving Day to the top spot as the most popular holiday for road racing, according to Running USA, a nonprofit organization that tracks road racing trends.
Spokesman Ryan Lamppa isn’t sure which year Turkey Day leapt ahead of the July Fourth holiday—he’s still running the numbers—but says Thanksgiving “crushed” Independence Day in runner participation in 2011. That year 248,000 people finished a race on July 4, compared with 676,000 on Thanksgiving.
This is despite the fact that the Peachtree Road Race 10k, the largest race of any distance in the U.S. with 55,000 finishers, takes place on July 4.
"There's just one Peachtree, but Thanksgiving has multiple races with 5 to 10,000 runners each,” says Lamppa.
Atlanta Half Marathon and Thanksgiving Day 5K, Atlanta, GA, 9,476.
New Year’s is the third-most popular holiday for road racing (81,000 finishers in 2011 for both New Year's Eve and day events), followed by Labor Day (55,000).
Overall, participation in road races on Thanksgiving has grown steadily over the last five years. Since 2008, the number of finishers has jumped 119 percent, from 381,000 to 835,000 in 2012. The number of events in those years increased from 290 to 490, a 69 percent rise.
Lamppa says it’s possible the number of Thanksgiving finishers this year could pass the million runner mark.
Running's growth since the mid-1990s has, of course, spurred an increase in participation in road racing throughout the year, notably in the half-marathon distance. The 2025 Marathon and Half Marathon Calendar.
“On July Fourth, you’re less likely to think, ‘I’m going to run and pig out on…hotdogs?’” says Lamppa. “On Thanksgiving, doing a 5k or 10-miler is justification for many people for eating turkey and potatoes and pie.”
Further feeding the growth is the idea that turkey trots have become Thanksgiving Day’s fireworks—the fun, festive event the whole family can do together. Even if that comes with a little nudging.
“Family peer pressure has probably helped,” says Lamppa. “The runner says, hey, come do the 5k with me this year, next year more people join in, and then it becomes a family tradition.”
Thanksgiving Surpasses July 4 as No. 1 Day for Road Racing Guinness world record back to the U.S. Another will be keeping Mile High United Ways Turkey Trot, Denver, CO, 7,975. Manchester Road Race, Manchester, CT, 11,682 Source: Running USA.
The majority of us, however, will tack on a few warm up and cool down miles to help keep calories in check. Toward that end: you'll need to run 12.8 miles to undo dinner's damage, according to Runner’s World nutrition columnist Liz Applegate. Warning: her calculus is based on normal serving sizes, and a mere sliver of apple pie.
But Lamppa believes the nature of the holiday is also a driving force behind its new dominance
(based on number of finishers, some are estimates)
1) Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, San Jose, CA, 21,697
2) Detroit Turkey Triot, Detroit, MI, 17,126
3) Thanksgiving Day Race, Cincinnati, OH, 13,282
4) notably in the half-marathon distance
5) notably in the half-marathon distance
6) Atlanta Half Marathon and Thanksgiving Day 5K, Atlanta, GA, 9,476
7) These Are the Worlds Fastest Marathoners
8) Mile High United Way's Turkey Trot, Denver, CO, 7,975
9) Mile High United Ways Turkey Trot, Denver, CO, 7,975
10) Festival Food Turkey Trot, Green Bay, WI, 7,789
-Source: Running USA
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a nonprofit organization that tracks road racing trends
