Runners Gobble Up Turkey Trots
There are a slew of Turkey Trot races on Thanksgiving Day, and others on the weekends before and after the holiday. Most are small, produced by running clubs, park districts, or chambers of commerce with little pre-race publicity or race day pizzaz. In colder climes, the racing season has ended and runners are so grateful for another racing opportunity they tend to overlook imperfections that would have elicited howls of protest earlier in the year.
Still, some race organizers pull out all the stops and stage events that are among the largest in the country. The Thanksgiving Day 10k in Cincinnati, Ohio, attracted 10,594 finishers in 2006, making it the largest race in the state. The Delaware Family YMCA Turkey Trot 8k in Buffalo, New York, tallied 7,584 finishers and the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k in Detroit, Michigan saw 6,476 runners cross the finish line.
The Atlanta Track Club continued its unique habit of offering major events on holidays. The Atlanta Half-Marathon, in Atlanta, Georgia, drew more than 7,000 participants, plus 800 more in its accompanying marathon. (The club's Peachtree Classic 10k, on July 4th, is the world's largest race, with over 50,000 finishers).
Whatever the size of your race, a holiday event can provide an extra marketing boost - many people are off work and holiday images provide a built-in theme for the event. Volunteers are sometimes harder to recruit (they often have previous commitments) but they, too, can be drawn into the event if organizers make it as much fun for them as they do for the runners.