For over 55 years, the YMCA Dallas Turkey Trot has been a Thanksgiving tradition for families, friends, and athletes of all levels. Join this year for the annual 5K, 8-mile race, or fun run, and experience the joy of giving back to your community while enjoying a fun-filled day of …
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For over 55 years, the YMCA Dallas Turkey Trot has been a Thanksgiving tradition for families, friends, and athletes of all levels. Join this year for the annual 5K, 8-mile race, or fun run, and experience the joy of giving back to your community while enjoying a fun-filled day of racing and celebration.
This event is more than just a race; it’s an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those around us. All proceeds from the Turkey Trot go directly to the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, supporting programs and initiatives that help build strong, healthy, and connected communities.
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting out, there’s a race for everyone at the Turkey Trot. The 5K is perfect for beginners and families, while the 8-mile race offers a challenge for more experienced runners. And for those who want to join in on the fun, our Turkey Trot is a great way to get moving and enjoy the holiday spirit.
But the Turkey Trot is more than just a race. It’s a celebration of community, with live music, food, and fun activities for the whole family. Bring your friends and family, dress up in your favorite Thanksgiving-themed costume, and make memories that will last a lifetime.
So join this Thanksgiving and make a difference in your community while having a blast at the YMCA Dallas Turkey Trot!
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Our Thanksgiving Tradition
Awesome event that we try to do every year. I have reviewed it before so this will be brief. I walked the 5k, have an injury that kept me from … MORE
Awesome event that we try to do every year. I have reviewed it before so this will be brief.
I walked the 5k, have an injury that kept me from the 8 miler or even running this year.
Great event. Think they had like 27,000 participants this year. Great value
Two tips. Pay for timed entry. You get to start in the front corral. Also use the prepaid parking app to get a parking spot. I reserved mine several weeks in advance and paid $4. When I arrived it was $15 for anyone that didn’t prepay. I am sure there are some free meter spots around if you go seek them. The lot I use is on Canton right behind city hall so a short walk to start/finish.
The best turkey trot in the DFW area.
Thanksgiving Tradition
What is a better way to start your thanksgiving than to start by running 8 miles around downtown dallas with thousands of your peers? The course is crowded at the … MORE
What is a better way to start your thanksgiving than to start by running 8 miles around downtown dallas with thousands of your peers? The course is crowded at the start until the 5k splits off and then the hard part with lots of hills and bridges take you around the rest of the way.
Dallas Thanksgiving Day Tradition
I have run this event multiple times and if I am in town will continue to run it. Low entry fees. Family Friendly event. Course starts and ends in downtown … MORE
I have run this event multiple times and if I am in town will continue to run it.
Low entry fees. Family Friendly event.
Course starts and ends in downtown Dallas.
In the past I drove in for the day and found a parking spot. Lots of parking available in pay lots. This year I stayed at the Omni downtown. Good event rate was provided. The Omni is a short quarterish mile walk to start and back from the finish. Great hotel. It is also located with a view of the last part of both courses so I was able to watch runners from my room. There are several other hotels in the area.
Race tips as I have said before pay the extra for a timed bib as you get entry into the timed corral at the front. With about 25 or so thousand participants it is a small price to pay to get ahead of the masses. Plus you get your result online. You can pickup your bib and event shirt early but they also have race day pickup. They have three distances, a kids run, think one mile?, a 5k, and an 8 mile. The 5k and 8 mile start at the same time but have different finish lines. Tip. Get there early just because so many people and you can get closer to the front. Lots of people and if you start in the back of the non timed area you will be walking for most of the first mile. Once again paying for timed entry is worth it even if you are walking. The course, I run the 8 mile but the first 2.75 or so is on the 5k course. The 5k is run all in downtown Dallas. So you get to see the buildings of Dallas And some festive decorations. After the 5K splits off the 8 mile course heads south of Dallas for a couple miles then heads back to the finish. There are a few small inclines, nothing serious but this isn’t a totally flat course. Or bad as I ran a marathon the pressure day and I ran better than projected today. Can be a fast course if you attack the small hills. It a whole lot of spectators but a few spots had some cheering. Plenty of water stations offering only water. Lots of volunteers. Great traffic control by the Dallas PD. Miles are marked with signs but no timers. Finish line (8mile). Finish right in front of City Hall. Get your finisher medal, a water, chocolate milk, apple, banana, and or an orange.
There were some vendors handing out items but I didn’t venture to that area.
So to recap, Pros: low entry fee, long sleeved shirt (cotton), finisher medal, family friendly, burn off calories before eating turkey. Cons: only one they only had a set number of finisher medals and of those only a set number were of a metal type. After those are gone they were rubber. Also I heard at the 5k that runners were just grabbing handfuls of medals out of the boxes.
Great family friendly tradition.
Turkey Day Tradition in Dallas
I am a repeat runner of this event. If I am home for the holiday, I run this event. registration fees are affordable. packet pickup - multiple sites for early … MORE
I am a repeat runner of this event. If I am home for the holiday, I run this event.
registration fees are affordable.
packet pickup – multiple sites for early pickup and they offer race day pickup.
Race Day – The race starts and finishes in Downtown Dallas by City Hall. There is lots of parking around the area but be prepared to pay. Also get there early to avoid traffic as they have over 20,000 runners every year. I always use online parking apps and reserve a spot early for the best price. I paid $3 on line for my parking spot but reserved it a month early. A family member reserved a spot in the same lot a few days prior and paid $10 and I noticed signs race morning that it was $20.
Pre race – you can pick up your packet race morning and also register. Lots of facilities for that last minute relief prior to the run, but with 20,000 plus (they said we had over 25,000 this year), you want to get in line early. They have music playing and an announcer sending out messages prior to the run. A tip – if you register, pay for the timed bib, the extra $5 is worth it as you get to start in the front corral. I paid this year but didn’t get to the corral in time and started further back, it took me 7 minutes to cross the starting line, if you are further back you could be starting as the 5K leaders finish. Plus this event, there are lots of bandits that stand in front of the starting line and once they start, they all jump in on the road, most of them just walk so if you are back in the pack, you are going to be weaving in and out for at least a mile or two until it clears up (if you are running). The 5K and 8 mile start at the same time, at mile 2 they split off. The course itself goes through downtown (the 5K is all downtown), then you go south of downtown. Not real scenic but always cool to run downtown among the buildings. There were a few live bands in the first two miles but none after that point. Multiple water stops with lots of volunteers and water. They even had swimming pools full of water for your dog to drink. The course had a few small inclines, enough to say the course was not flat but nothing that is going to make you think it is hilly but this also may depend on your perspective. The finish line (8 mile) is right in front of City Hall. Finisher medals were provided for the first 4500 finishers in both the 8 mile and 5k (9000 total finisher medals). Water was provided at the finish line. They also had apples, bananas, oranges, and more water at another area. They had a children’s area with bounce houses, and a few vendors handing out information and samples (got a big bag of pasta from one). This is a tradition for lots of families so you will see lots of them out there running/walking, or just hanging out. I will always run this event if I am in town. Just a great way to start Thanksgiving.
Huge Family Friendly Race
Huge race with thousands and thousands of participants. Race has timed and untimed entry, there was supposed to be a separate corral for timed runners but they allowed the untimed … MORE
Huge race with thousands and thousands of participants. Race has timed and untimed entry, there was supposed to be a separate corral for timed runners but they allowed the untimed runners to start at same time without separation so start was a mess. As this is a family (and dog) friendly race, there were thousands of people who did not know proper race etiquette such as dog/strollers start in the back. Walkers to the right and start in the back, etc. Once the 5k turned off to finish, the race thinned out a bit (and these runners just had better etiquette). 8 milers received a medal but 5k did not. Would recommend for family friendly thanksgiving event but not necessarily PR friendly given amount of walkers/children/ dogs/ strollers etc.