Turkey Trots On Thanksgiving, Is one of the most popular days of the year to race

If you think about it, the Turkey Trot makes perfect sense. It unites the caloric extravaganza that is Thanksgiving with the calorie-torching activity that is running. Perhaps that’s why in 2015, Thanksgiving eclipsed the Fourth of July as the most popular day to run a race, drawing nearly a million participants to more than 1,000 different events across the country. But while the Turkey Trot’s popularity is a modern phenomenon, its origins stretch all the way back to 1896. The inaugural trot took place 122 years ago in Buffalo, New York. The 8K cross-country race, hosted by the local YMCA that Thanksgiving Day, drew just six participants, and only four of them made it to the finish line. This year, more than a dozen turkey trots are taking place on Thanksgiving in Colorado. From Durango to Greeley to Colorado Springs, it’s a hugely popular day to run. The state’s biggest race, the Mile High United Way turkey trot, attracts more than 8,000 runners and walkers each year.  One of the largest is the Turkey Trot in San Jose California.  

posted Wednesday November 21st