Dana Point Turkey Trot

I ran the Turkey Trot for the first time in 2015 and it was wonderful! I’ve always wanted to do a turkey trot, but working on Disney property throughout college prevented me from doing much on holidays since I was working. But 2015 was the year I graduated and got a job that allowed me to have holidays off and I was so excited to do a Turkey Trot!
I knew I wanted to do Dana Point because I had heard such great things about it and it was very reasonably priced. I got the 5K/​10K combo which came out to $ 55 and I was ready to go!
We did race day packet pickup which was no extra charge, thankfully! Plenty of races nickel and dime you with the race day packet pickup but not with Dana Point. We grabbed our bibs and shirts and headed back to the car to drop them off. The 10K was the first race to go on so we went to the start and began running! The course for the 10K and 5K are similar and pass a lot of the same points, but the 5K is obviously shorter. They were both beautiful and enjoyable courses though!
Once our races were done, I noticed that they had given us 10K medals for the 5K, so I was then stuck with two 10K medals, which isn’t a huge deal but it’s a little bit of a disappointment. I didn’t realize it until I got back to the car so I left a note on their Facebook page asking them what I can do. They told me to contact them but I didn’t end up doing it because it was Thanksgiving and I eventually just never got around to it/​forgot about it. It’s a little annoying to have two of the exact same medals hanging on my rack but it’s not a huge deal. It just would have been nice if they were passing out the correct medals to begin with.
All in all, we had a wonderful time and I definitely would return! If you live in the area, check out this race on Thanksgiving and then stuff your face later!

Today was my 3^rd time jogging the annual turkey trot! :) it’s always so much fun joining in the festivities and we love the organization, T shirts, and freebies! They had oranges, bananas and apples + clif bars + muscle milk!
Hope to be back again for some more trotting in years to come!

I have been running this race for 20 years and it is a family tradition. I love this race! There is a small, amateur band at the end of the race.

This was our second year running in the Dana Point Turkey Trot. For their «37^th annual» you would think they would have finally worked out all the kinks to their race and expo. Will be looking into better Turkey Trot options next year.
First, they block off and disallow patrons to park in the Doheny State parking, forcing you to join the bumper to bumper mess created by the event. The expo could be better laid out but, again, they sequester the booths and check in to a small blocked off strip of area forcing the drouths of people to be elbow to elbow. The bib pick-​up booth also had extremely long lines. Well, half of it at least. Half of the volunteers sat and did nothing instead of assisting those with longer lines. We skipped the expo after the race, as we did not want to try and fight the thousands of people again. Perhaps consider moving out the booths to the street as I am sure they paid tons of money to sponsor the event and get some marketing recognition.
They also ran out of cups at their second water station, causing long lines and blocking the route.
Sure, it is great if you continue to grow, but make accommodations to make it easier and more efficient for everyone.

I ran the Turkey Trot 10k for the first time this year and it was so much fun! I’ve been wanting to participate in this race since I started running races back in 2010, and I’m so glad that I decided to finally run this race. I’m hoping to make it a yearly tradition now too.
I signed up about two months in advance and entry fee was about $ 45. They were taking entries on the day of the race too! They don’t max out on participants, so don’t worry if you sign up on race day! The money they get for the race goes to charity (food banks), so you get to burn calories plus help donate so others can eat during the holidays too. I picked up my race packet the day before the race, but it was just as easy to pick it up race day too (my friend who I ran with picked hers up race day). I love the race shirt and will probably be a shirt I wear proudly to the gym in the years to come. I just wish it would distinguish that I ran the 10k, but it’s not that big of a deal!
Race day is so fun! 10k race starts at 7am and I got there about 5:40am so I could get a parking spot only one bock from the race start and walk over. If you get there later, you’ll probably have to park at Dana Hills HS and have to take the race day tram down to the start line (or walk, but it’s about a 1.5 mile journey, but could be a good warm up!). They have plenty of porta potties at the start line too, so no worries there.
The 10k race had three waves for this race and I was in the third wave, which started close to 10 minutes after the start of the race, but it was no biggie. The course was flat and fast, perfect if you didn’t train too much for the race or if this is your first race. The course views was SO PRETTY! Who could beat ocean front views for 6.2 miles?! It was so awesome and I loved it! There were plenty of walkers and runners in this race, so if you’re a slower runner or a walker, you’ll be in good company the whole race. There was about three water stations throughout the course, and I stopped at all of them. The finishers medal was so cute and probably my favorite medal I’ve received for completing a race to date. I also loved everyone that dressed up for the race, it was so cute and awesome!
Come run the Turkey Trot in the years to come! You’ll leave happy and not feel so guilty when you stuff your face for Thanksgiving lunch/​dinner! Happy running!

Running Turkey Trots has become my Thanksgiving morning tradition for the past several years. What I love about them is the festive atmosphere, from the people dressed up as turkeys to the spectators, everyone is having a good time. It’s also a great way to burn some calories to help offset a small % of the massive amount of calories that will be gained during Thanksgiving dinner. The Dana Point Turkey Trot has awesome views of the pacific ocean and harbor, but parts of the course were narrower than I like, which made it difficult at times to move through the heard of runners. The starting point for the 10K run was a bit difficult to get to as there weren’t many entrance points. Parking was a nightmare as that too had only one entrance point. With the line of cars backed up, I went in the opposite direction and parked in the parking lot of a commercial building a mile from the starting point and walked. There was no shortage of water at the water stations.

My first 5K!
Folks, I’m not a seasoned athlete. I started running two months before the Turkey Trot, and it was HARD. I signed up for this race with the idea that maybe I would run most of it, and that there was no shame in having to walk.
The registration fee is reasonable, and everyone gets a tshirt and a finisher’s medal. The tshirt is actually a nice, quality shirt that I will definitely work out in again, and the medal is really pretty (and I was very proud to earn it). Packet pickup, even on race day, was quick and well-​organized, especially if you looked up your bib number before you came – and you get an email telling you how to do that. The expo was sort of underwhelming, but there were samples of juice, yogurt, Clif bars, and bananas and water after the race.
There were people of all abilities doing the 5k. A lot of people walked it. I’m pretty slow, but I ran all of it, which was a huge accomplishment for me. The only problem with this was that the walkers – especially people who were walking with huge strollers – made the race difficult and sometimes dangerous for runners. It would be a big improvement if those who intended to walk the course would start in the last wave and let the runners go ahead of them.

Love this. Have ran both the 5K and 10K on the same day; actually takes some of the guilty feeling of Thanksgiving indulgence away. Oh, and hey, Dana Point Harbor is one of the most beautiful, idyllic places to walk/​jog/​run. There’s also a Kid’s Fun Run, if have offspring.

A tradiation in Dana Point for over 30 years. the little harbor packs them in. The race is flat with exception on a bride, and the course is a delight along the ocean and the marina. Cant tel you how much fun it is to run with the costumed happy healthy crowd befiore a bloody mary and off to the kitchen to prep the feast of the year!

Similar to my need for turkey and pumpkin pie, my Thanksgiving Day would be seriously lacking without the Dana Point Turkey Trot!
What could be more rewarding both physically and emotionally than donating $ 35-​$ 55 to the OC Food Bank while burning 600+ calories alongside 15,000+ runners while dressed in a turkey hat?! Nope, the correct answer is nothing!
As stated, the cost is on a sliding scale aka the earlier you sign up, the cheaper it will be, but to be fair, its all going to charity anyway so if you slack on booking, just think of the super cool medal you get and consider yourself extra virtuous.
YES! That’s right! You DO get a medal for this gorgeous, beach front 6-​miler! You even get one for the 5K! And it is quite an impressive medal at that! You also get a t-​shirt and a few freebies in your swag bag but we all know what the real prize is… that guilt-​free second helping of pumpkin pie a few hours later.
The Turkey Trot is by far my favorite local race. It is super flat, very clean and the views of the beach and harbor are what makes my heart flutter. The course starts at the Dana Point Mariner’s Village and then does a figure eight weave 3 miles through Doheny State Beach and then 3 miles back through the harbor eventually ending back at the Dana Point Mariner’s Village where you started. It is 100% asphalt and concrete but the views make up for the possibility of joint pain later.
The expo is quite impressive for a small town race and there are very useful booths presenting free massages, free food or just free information about other races & services. You can pick up your bib and even register at the expo a few days before the race. It is very well organized and easy to navigate.
On the course, there are plenty of directional police officers, aid personnel and HS students at each water station (one every 1.5 miles or so). They are always very enthusiastic and encouraging — a trait I love.
My second favorite thing about the Turkey Trot is the COSTUMES! I am almost always impressed by the sheer variety of ways to incorporate Thanksgiving staples into a ensemble still suitable for running. I have only ever managed a Turkey headband but every year I am more and more inspired!
Now for the not so fun part: the parking situation.
My family buys a State Parks pass every year (which I highly recommend if you like going to State Park beaches!) so we park in Doheny for free and take the short walk to the start line as a warm up and thus I have never had to park my car 3 miles away and sprint to make it to the start on time as some of my friends have.
If you are running late or don’t mind paying, I would highly recommend parking in Doheny for $ 15 as there will ALWAYS be parking there on a Thanksgiving morning at 5am. The surrounding streets are filled with strange rules and parallel parking scares that nightmares are made of so try if you must, but I would pay $ 15 to avoid it even if we didn’t have the State Parks pass.
Finally, the race is for charity so it NEVER sells out and they accept morning day registrations so even if you wait til 7AM on Thanksgiving Day morning, you could still probably catch the 5K (if you park in Doheny!). Your kids could even do the kids fun 1-​mile run at 10AM!
There is absolutely no excuse to miss this event and once you do it once, I’m sure you’ll want to make it a Thanksgiving Day tradition as well.

I think this is now a Thanksgiving tradition for me. It’s fun, it’s cheap and everyone has great time.
Whether you do the 5k, 10k or both, it’s a win-​win here. You get a shirt, and not one of those cotton ones, but a pretty darn good tech shirt that’s good for any workout or for a good run. Plus you get a finisher’s medal too. Not a lot of small races offer these amenities and at an already cheap price.
It’s even cheaper for military folks. Just look for the military discount button in the registration. I think I paid $ 20 for the 10k. Not too shabby.
But your registration also supports the Dana Point 5^th Regiment Marines so the military wins too.
The «expo» is small but there are enough local vendors out there to support. The 5 hour energy drink people are always there and you can snag a few of their samples.
Running clubs such as the A Snail Pace show up every year, and if you are a member of their club, you can hang out at their tent, drop off your stuff and have a drink or two.
My only concern is the parking. Lessons learned… don’t park in the parking lot by the start/​finish line… youll be stuck there for awhile despite finishing your race. I recommend finding some street parking far away so you can leave at a decent time.
Note to self: 43:23 in 2012.

Our family has now made this race a Thanksgiving Day tradition! It’s a great way to start the day and feel like you’ve gotten some great exercise before eating all that heavy food. The course is super flat and very fast (if you’re near the front). I’ve ran a couple of 10k PRs here and it’s a blast. Its a good vibe, the race starter is cool and the runners always have a good time. Bib pick up is easy in the harbor, registration could be easier if they allowed their website to registar multiple runners without having to enter everyone’s home address again, and again. Should be a radial dial to help with that!
This is a great family event, come down and check it out!

This is a gorgeous place to run and it’s a great cause, but the Turkey Trot is not exactly a well-​oiled machine.
1: Packet pick up is just a ruse to get you to go around to all the sponsors’ tents. They make you look up your badge number in one location, then get your bib in another location, go to another place to get your shirt (on the other end of the expo) and all that nonsense. It turns a 5 minute errand into a half-​an-​hour ordeal during a work day. Look, I’m not going to buy new running shoes at this expo the day before the race. Just let me get my bib and my shirt and let me go.
2. The «staging area» is somewhat confusing and full of people who didn’t register. I saw a couple folks get stopped while we were moving to the start line because they weren’t even in bibs. They just went around the crowd and ran anyway.
3. The dog situation is not only annoying, but dangerous. I almost tripped over multiple dogs who were on fully extended leashes. I was under the impression that dogs weren’t allowed, so this was really frustrating. A lot of dogs don’t do well in crowds. I saw some stressing out in the staging area, which upset me. I know everyone’s dog is a precious snowflake, but they are still animals and they still get spooked in crowds occasionally, no matter how socialized they are.
I understand that this is for charity and that they have some very big sponsors who want to get some sort of return from this investment, but that is in direct opposition to the spirit of charitable giving. Just donate your money/​services and let it go. Charity is more than just free marketing. You’re already on the t-​shirt and your ads are already in our race packets. Don’t make me sample your crappy Cliff Bar. Just let me run the race.
That being said, I’ll probably run it again next year, as this is sort of family tradition. So they get their money either way.

This was a fantastic (fitness-​filled start) to Turkey Day!
It was as a great time seeing so many friends and families contributing to a good cause and having a blast doing it. Feeling the positive energy of the crowd, taking in the beautiful Dana Point harbor views, and experiencing the adrenaline rush as I crossed the finish line reminded me of how much I truly have to be thankful for today!
The sponsors, including Cliff Bar, Mix fitness shakes, and many others were incredibly generous and made sure all the racers were pumped up with lots of protein and water! Although parking was a bit of a nightmare, my family and I were able to valet at a nearby hotel fairly inexpensively, and the bathroom availability at the event more than made up for it!
The Dana Point Turkey Trot was a well-​executed event all around and I can’t wait to do it again next year… maybe even do the 10k instead of the 5k!