A race on Thanksgiving morning or the weekend that follows—often called a “turkey trot”—is a fun way to celebrate the holiday and see your fall running training pay off. But in pandemic times, a virtual race is a safer option than running in person, and fortunately there are a bunch of good ones available.
A note on safety: running outdoors is reasonably safe, even maskless, if you’re able to keep your distance from other people. But the process of running an in-person race often involves standing next to others in corrals, grouping with others on shuttle buses, and huddling together in whatever warm building you can find if it’s a cold weather race. So while it’s not impossible for an in-person race to be safe, this year is a great time for a virtual one.
To run a virtual race, you sign up as if you were registering for a real race, and then just run the distance on your own. The “virtual” race provides one or both of the things that distinguish a race from a run: competitive rankings, and a swag bag.
Swag bag races
These virtual races charge a registration fee, and then they mail you a package of goodies. While most in-person races just give you a t-shirt, virtual race organizers understand that you’re probably in this for the swag, so they tend to offer nicer stuff. Your entry fee doesn’t have to cover any of the expenses of actually putting on a race, after all.
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America’s Turkey Trot costs $40 and provides a jacket, beanie, and finisher’s medal.
The Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot costs $35 and provides a t-shirt; you can also log your time on the leaderboard and potentially win a random prize. There’s a finisher’s medal for an extra $5.
The Los Angeles Turkey Trot costs $37 and provides a t-shirt or tank, and a finisher’s medal. Proceeds to go the Midnight Mission, which helps people experiencing homelessness.
The Dana Point Turkey Trot has a variety of options, from a $39 package with a T-shirt and medal, to a $15 medal-only package and a $5 entry with digital goodies.
For more options, check out this list from Active.com, this list from Runner’s World or just Google for your city or area + “turkey trot.” Many races that are traditionally held in person have a virtual option this year, so in many cases you can still support the local clubs and charities you otherwise would, and cheer on your friends as they post their times on race websites or social media.
