Race Report: Community First Thanksgiving Distance Classic 5K (11.28.24)

The Community First Thanksgiving Distance Classic (aka the Turkey Trot) is a Jacksonville staple, offering a 5K and a half marathon. If memory serves, the 5K used to be a 5 miler, but it changed at some point in the last 10-12 years. Five miles was fun, but 5K is just enough on Thanksgiving morning. As always, we had a great experience, and I’d love to share all about it!

Packet Pickup And The Night Before

Turkey Trots are notorious for being full and busy, so I opted to pick up our packets in advance. 1st Place Sports actually offered two days of pickup (Tuesday and Wednesday), and I went on Tuesday. The event asks that everyone donate a non perishable item when they pick up their bibs, so I went to the grocery store next to my pickup location to get the requisite items for the food bank. It was super convenient, and I was out of there quickly with two tote bags and two long sleeved t-shirts.

The night before the race, I laid out my flat Jenn. The weather promised to be warm and humid, so it was a tank and shorts, with a long sleeve for after. I spent the day prepping for Thanksgiving, ate sushi for dinner and called it a night.

Race Morning

Between the 5K and the half marathon, the race was sold out. With a 6:50 start time for our event, we left home at 5:30, and made it just in time to get the last parking spot in the closest lot. My stomach was not having a great time, and I must have visited the portapotty three or four times. In addition, the packet pickup line was long enough that they had to delay the start by about 10-15 minutes. Boo.

I made the most of the time by getting a few photos!

And by meeting up with the local run group.

And then it was time to go.

Running The Race

The course is pretty straightforward with a straightaway down San Jose Boulevard, before turning into some beautiful residential neighborhoods. These roads are shady and hilly, making them visually interesting, but also a little challenging.

As a sold out event, it was crowded at the start, with a good mix of speedsters and casual walkers. I did a little bit of weaving on that first stretch, and then things cleared a little. It stayed busy the whole way, but I didn’t feel like my movement was hampered in any way.

What did hit me was the sun and the humidity. I just wasn’t into it. The first mile went well, but then I dropped down into intervals. Since my stomach was still cranky, I passed on the water stops, but just kept grinding.

Finally, we turned the last corner to the finish line!

The Finish Line

While this wasn’t a post-injury PR, I felt much better about my performance than I did at the Great Balloon Chase last month. Progress isn’t linear, and this is just another step on my road.

I made my way through the finisher’s chute, passed up the water, bananas, and snacks, and found the medal distribution area. Thanksgiving Distance Classic medals are a hot commodity, and runners have to go to a special area and receive an X on their bibs when they claim their bling.

I settled in to wait for Mr PugRunner, but somehow I missed his finish. He got his medal and a banana and we milled around for a few minutes.

There was no time to really dawdle. We had to get the bird on the Big Green Egg! It’s really nice to have a race start early enough to accommodate the festivities ahead.

We said our goodbyes and hit the road.

Final Thoughts

The Thanksgiving Distance Classic is a staple for a reason. It combines a solid course with an efficient process on a super busy day of the year. Honestly, it’s easy to see why it sells out year after year. As long as you anticipate the crowds and plan accordingly, there’s no reason you can’t comfortably toe the start line with no stress.

I confess I don’t enjoy when races start late, but what can you do? Things happen, and I’m glad it didn’t upset my vibe on that day (In the summer, late races make me crazy! We need every second of that pre-dawn sunlessness!)

Medals are gorgeous, and the shirts were really nice (moisture-wicking, long sleeve, with thumbholes!). I requested a men’s shirt because the women’s are generally too short in the torso for me, and it was the right call. I’ll add there were plenty of portapotties, free parking (even if you did have to walk a little), and water and snacks to go around. I’m not sure how the half marathon course compares, but that won’t be a challenge I take on any day soon!

Did you Turkey Trot? Do you have one or more local races to choose from on Thanksgiving? Did you stay local or run out of town?

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