Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without a Turkey Trot, so you know I made my plans to participate pretty early. And I’m glad I did! By Wednesday of that week, the two biggest local trots were sold out, and runners were scrambling to find alternatives. Whoops! Let’s see how my pre-turkey 5K went…
About The Race
Talk about history! The Community First Distance Classic is one of the biggest and most meaningful running traditions here in Northeast Florida. Can you believe this year marks the 42nd running of this popular event? Back in 1984, it kicked off with just 500 runners tackling the Half Marathon, before the shorter 5K and 1-mile Turkey Trot distances were even offered! Now, with over 3,000 participants, this Thanksgiving morning event is a non-negotiable family tradition for so many of us. But the best part us that every mile counts for the Jacksonville running community. This event is a major fundraiser for the incredible Mandarin Food Bank, and your registration also helps fund the construction and maintenance of a new three-mile running/walking path at the Aterro Recreation Park.
The Night Before
The eve before a Turkey Trot is always fun. Chances are (and this year was no exception) I’ve spent the day in the kitchen, working hard on prep, and the idea of a 6:50AM race hasn’t even entered my head. We had a long day, shopping for phones and cooking, and it was all I could do to have a decent pizza dinner and put out my flat runner (which changed several times, because the weather was so inconsistent). I figured I could bring the long sleeve shirt, and just tie it around my waist if I got uncomfortably warm.
Race Morning
The Community First Thanksgiving Distance Classic has a start time of 6:50AM for the 5K. The half marathon starts a few minutes after that, and the little one mile Turkey Trot happens at some point while the longer runners are out. I made it a point to leave my house at 5:15 to ensure that I would be able to park in the shopping center lot across the street from the start line. Everything is set up on a fairly major roadway, with lots of strip malls and retail centers, and I didn’t want to be hunting for places that allowed for race parking. I immediately headed to the restroom, got through that line, and needed to go again. Isn’t that always the way?
The Start Line
Before long, it was time to head to the start. Most of the people I know in the running community had opted out for a different race in Atlantic Beach with a much later start time, so I really didn’t know anyone there. This was a sold out race, and the street was absolutely full of people. I loved to see the mix of runners lining up, and found a spot in the middle of the pack. We were delayed about five minutes, but then they sang the National Anthem and we were off.
Miles 1 – 1.5
The Distance Classic starts along San Jose, which is a main road in our area. 5K runners go straight for about half a mile before turning right into an established neighborhood. It’s usually a quiet run: most people are either running, sleeping, or cooking, so there are no cars to contend with. And there are plenty of law enforcement officers at the intersections to deal with any traffic if need be. Even though I’ve been doing intervals, I challenged myself to run the entire first mile without walk breaks. Go, me. At that point, I had to shed the long sleeves. It was cold and windy, but also incredibly humid, so I was hot. We passed the well-stocked water stop and headed into the back end of the race.
Miles 1.5-3.1
While the course is essentially just a big box, the last mile and a half present runners with a few more twists and turns. It’s actually kind of nice to mix things up and keep one’s mind off the rest of the run. To be honest, I felt pretty good, and kept pushing forward with my intervals.
The Finish Line
I crossed the finish line, not horribly bummed at my time, especially after being sick. I’m all about giving myself some grace when needed. Since this was a sold out event that a ot of people try to bandit, the medals were on hard lockdown… we moved through the finisher’s chute to get on another line to get our bling, which did cause a little bit of a backup. I’m not sure there’s any other way if you want to ensure that only legit registered runners get their medal. There was water and some snacks, but the real party was at The Cavern across the street, where they were offering free beer at 8AM for anyone with a bib. I thought about it for a moment, but there was a long line and the doors weren’t open yet, so I figured I would treat myself (and the boys) to coffee instead.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The Good:
What can I say? It’s a good race. It’s super early so as not to interfere with the holiday, and it’s a fan favorite. The medal are a hot commodity, and all registrants get a nice, long-sleeve athletic shirt (with thumbholes!), that is traditionally pretty thick and warm. I also love that runners can donate money or canned goods with their registration to help support local food banks.
The Bad:
Could there be more portapotties? Yes. Could there be more parking? Absolutely. But neither of these are dealbreakers. You just have to plan accordingly.
The Ugly:
I can’t think of anything. The Thanksgiving Distance Classic is a well-oiled machine, with no major issues that I can point to.
Final Thoughts
How can you go wrong with a well-attended Turkey Trot? This one has it all: a history, a strong community purpose, and great medals. If I’m in town, this is the one I plan to attend going forward.
What’s Next?
Mr PugRunner and I will be heading to the Spiked Apple 5K on Saturday. It’s a trail, and we agreed we will go slow, but it’s such a fun event with fresh cider and donuts at the finish line, plus access to the gorgeous Congaree and Penn farm. We have lunch reservations at their restaurant for after, and it will be a nice date morning. I wasn’t planning to do it again, but there is a new medal and new shirt color, so…. what the heck? Fun fact: it’s sold out and we received an email offering anyone who wanted to cancel a full refund so they could offer the spot to people on the waitlist! Crazy!
Did you run a Turkey Trot?
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