In elementary school, we learned that the first Thanksgiving was in Massachusetts in 1621. It was a time when European settlers struggled to survive in the new world. The Pilgrims relied on the help of the Wampanoag people to survive.
After a successful harvest, a three-day celebration ensued to thank God and celebrate their friendship with the Wampanoag people. Historians believe that this first Thanksgiving involved 52 settlers and 90 native Americans.
In 1789, to celebrate the end of the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Constitution, George Washington proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving did not become an official national holiday until 1863, during the strife of the Civil War. Today, approximately 90% percent of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving.
While Global Running Day occurs in early June, Thanksgiving Day is the biggest running day in the United States. More than a million people run in Turkey Trots. The first Turkey Trot took place in Buffalo in 1896 and was five miles long. That first trot attracted six people with four finishers. In 2023, it had 14,000 finishers.
Locally, there are three major Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving morning, and over the years, I have run in all of them.
The Family of New Paltz Turkey Trot has been going on for at least 20 years. It is well-organized and has a festive atmosphere. It has a predominantly flat course, with the first half on Water Street and Plains Road, with everyone returning via the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.
The 5K course is USATF-certified. The event has T-shirts, chip timing, awards in ten-year age groups, refreshments, and a complimentary finisher photo. The event also has a free half-mile Mashed Potato Fun Run for children. The race fee for the 5K is $15 for 12 and under and ages 65 plus and $30 for ages 13-64.
It’s generally a big, fun race with over a thousand participants. If you are trying to run a fast time, get up front, get out fast, and then settle down at a pace you can sustain.
Family of New Paltz has been serving the community since 1975. It provides many needed services to the local community, including a 24-hour hotline, counseling, support groups, case management, advocacy, financial assistance, shelters, and a food pantry. Your entry fee goes to helping those in need.
With such a large event, remember to carpool and arrive early to the race staging area at the Water Street Markets. For more information, visit www.newpaltzturkeytrot.com.
Over the years, the Ferncliff Forest 5K Turkey Trot has only gotten bigger and bigger. In 2023, the race had 983 finishers. With that many participants, you know there is a place for everyone, from those racing for awards to people wanting to walk to get fresh air and burn calories.
The course is a rolling out-and-back route on Montgomery Street and Mount Rutsen Road. A nice feature of this event is its early start of 8 a.m., allowing participants time to return home and prepare for their Thanksgiving feast. There are T-shirts for the first 750 entrants, chip timing, and awards in age groups from under 10 to over 70. The entry fee is $35, with all proceeds going to the Ferncliff Forest Nature Preserve. The preserve is an all-volunteer organization that maintains the Ferncliff Forest for free public use.
The largest and oldest area Turkey Trot is the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club Turkey Trot. The roots of the event stretch back to the 1960s. It now has four race distances: A free children’s one-mile run, a two-mile run, a five-mile run, and the Bob Rother 25k (15.5 miles). Last year, the children’s mile had 163 finishers, with the two milers (570), five milers (473), and the 25K 39 finishers adding up to 1,245 finishers.
Entry fees range from the free children’s mile to $35 for the 25K. All youngsters receive a finisher’s ribbon with age group awards from 4 and under up to 12-year-olds. In the other races, awards are in age groups from 18 and under to 70 plus. All the races start and finish at Arlington High School in LaGrangeville. For more information, visit www.mhrrc.org.
An important note is that there is no day-of registration, and you must pre-register online by Wednesday, Nov. 27.
If you don’t care about your Turkey Trot being a race, there are two informal group runs in Ulster County on Thanksgiving Day. Keegan Army in Kingston will conduct a 5K group fun run from Keegan Ales on St. James Street starting at 9 a.m. with a $25 donation to Family of New Paltz. For more information, visit the Keegan Army Facebook page.
In Ellenville, the Ellenville-Warwarsing Chamber of Commerce has organized a free, no-frills group fun run using the Run Like the Wind 5k course. Participants will meet at Liberty Square in the heart of the village. The run starts at 9:30 a.m. For more information, visit Facebook events or contact the chamber.
If running on Thanksgiving morning isn’t in the cards for you, the Phoenicia Turkey Trot (2.4 miles) is on Saturday, Nov. 30. For more information, visit www.phoeniciaturkeytrot.org.
In 21st-century America, many families and friends are scattered across the country. Thanksgiving is when many people come home, and Turkey Trots allow us to see people we rarely see. Turkey Trots enable everyone to recreate together and feel less guilty about that extra piece of pie.
Group Runs
November’s morning chill and the onset of early darkness (the end of daylight saving time) remind us that winter is coming. The combination of darkness, cold temperatures, wind chill, and other elements can make running in the winter daunting. Many of us need an extra &”push” to get out the front door and take that essential first stride.
Group runs and workouts can be that extra push. Group runs provide a place and time to run. Knowing that others are waiting for you can help you be more accountable. Participating in group runs can deepen and enhance relationships with other runners.
Running with others provides a forum to share ideas and learn more about running. If you want motivation or company to run and help you through the dark and cold of winter, check out these three weekly group runs.
On Mondays, join in on the Onteora Runners Club Moderate Monday Run. This four- to six-mile run takes off from Dietz Stadium at 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, there is a tempo-style workout of approximately five miles using the track or “bowl” at Dietz Stadium. Warmup starts at 6 p.m., with faster running starting at 6:20 p.m.
Then, on Sundays at 11 a.m., the Keegan Army hosts a 5K run from Keegan Ales on St. James Street. These group runs are open to everyone.
Also, to help people get through the winter, the Onteora Runners Club organizes two series. Starting in early January, the club will again have its popular Saturday Winter Breakfast Series organized by Phil Canion. The series is approximately 10 weeks long and ends in early March, just before the race season begins to heat up.
The breakfast runs occur in Kingston, Lake Katrine, Rhinebeck, Port Ewen, Saugerties, Shokan, and Highland. The runs are all in the six-mile range. Afterward, everyone sits down and has breakfast at a nearby eatery, with a few breakfasts hosted by club members.
The club also organizes a five-week virtual race series. The ORC Winter Survivors Series starts in late January and ends early March. Each week, participants will be emailed a race course centered around Kingston. Participants will have a week to run the course and submit their times. Each Sunday, an in-person group run of the course is organized. Those running all five weeks will earn some great series “swag.” For information about both of these series, visit www.onteorarunners.org
Upcoming Races
* Thursday, Nov. 28 — Rhinebeck Ferncliff Forest 5K, Rhinebeck, N.Y. For more information, visit
https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rhinebeck/FerncliffForest5kTurkeyTrot.
* Thursday, Nov. 28 — Family of New Paltz Turkey Trot (5K and free children’s under 12 Mashed Potato
Run), New Paltz, N.Y. For all information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/NewPaltz/FamilyofNewPaltzTurkeyTrot.
*Thursday, Nov. 28 — Mid Hudson Road Runners Turkey Trot (25K, five miles, two miles, and free kids
one-mile races), LaGrangeville, N.Y. For all information, visit https://www.mhrrc.org/.
* Saturday, Nov. 30 — Phoenicia Turkey Trot (2.4-mile run/walk), Phoenicia, N.Y. For more information,
visit https://www.phoeniciaturkeytrot.org/.
* Saturday, Nov. 30 — Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie Grateful Gallop 5k, Lagrangeville, N.Y. For more information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Lagrangeville/FleetFeetPoughkeepsiesGratefulGallop.
* Sunday, Dec. 1 — Orange Runners Club Jingle Jog (four miles), Middletown, N.Y. For more information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Middletown/OrangeRunnersClubJingleJog.
* Saturday, Dec. 7 — 43rd Pete Sanfilippo Holiday Run (5 Miles and free children’s one mile), Wappingers Falls, N.Y. For more information, visit https://www.mhrrc.org/.
* Sunday, Dec. 8 — 41st YMCA Reindeer Ramble 5K. Kingston, N.Y. For more information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Kingston/YMCAReindeerRamble.
* Saturday, Dec. 14 —10th Annual Tinsel Trot 5K, Rock Hill, N.Y. For all information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/RockHill/5thAnnualTinselTrot5kFunRun.
* Sunday, Dec. 29 — Viking Run 6 Miler, Rosendale, N.Y. For more information, visit https://zippy-
reg.com/online_reg/index.php?e=2131.
Remember to register for the 41st YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County’s Reindeer Ramble 5K on Sunday, Dec. 8. This race has stood the test of time and is well-organized and fun. So, don your most festive holiday running garb and join in on the holiday cheer.
Steve Schallenkamp has been active in area running circles since 1966 as a runner, race director, volunteer and coach. He is a member of the Onteora Runners Club and president of the Shawangunk Runners Club.