Turkey Trot Davis

In terms of organization, this was one of the better races. Packet pickup for pre registration was easy. Except for the pre-​race info. I got one email the day before the event with a bunch of missing links.
Expo was very weak. Lines were very long for bagels. We just bounced out. No real staying power.
The course was definitely below average for the half-​marathon. Seriously– running down that highway is the best we could get?
The medal was cool, the crowd was a good size and everyone running seemed decent.
Glad to have run it but I likely will skip it in the future if competing with others.

Good course! Packet pickup was a little crazy, but other than that, it was great!

We were lucky with the rains today. Great race. Well organized. Nice participants medal. Go early for nearby parking.

Did the Turkey Trot in 2011 (fine weather) and 2012 (rainy), both 10K distances and part of Tour de Fit, and once for my company’s team. This year, I went pretty crazy with so many other races, including 6 half marathons, that when it came time to sign up for this November race, I opted for just the 5K to complete Tour de Fit series part Deux, and to take it easy toward the cold year end. Cotton standard shirt, mesh tech shirts either short or long sleeves, men’s or women’s cuts, optional participation medal as well with registration. Online reg is a breeze and ACOP is quick to troubleshoot by email, but the best is in person reg at Fleet Feet Davis if you can. The 5K was a sorta familiar course, then again I’d done Oktobrewfest the month before which also was in the North Davis Greenbelts. 5K is a decent, quick run. 10K is still a challenge, and 13.1 miles really tests endurance. The strollers didn’t have their own separate race division, which crowded the start and some of the narrower bike trails. Glad the race is offered the weekend before Thanksgiving, in case you are out of town for the actual holiday.

Amazing!
My first 5k!!!
I love Davis to begin with and running the Turkey Trot in Davis is a great experience. First of all, it’s not too crowded to the point that drives you insane like other popular races (ie NWM, Run to Feed the Hungry in Sacramento, etc).
It’s so well organized, I love it. You know where to go and what to do, and everyone is so nice in Davis too — so that’s a plus!
The t-​shirt is amazing — I always love the turkey trot design!
Bib pick up is easy and straight forward.
Parking isn’t too bad, I was able to find parking nearby as well. You can always park near/​on campus as well.
My tip to everyone is if you need to go to the bathroom before the race, the lines are LONG!
Don’t forget there’s lots of goodies at the end of the race — oranges, water, coconut water, bagel etc to replenish your fuel!
…I am definitely running the Turkey Trot again in Davis. :)

This year was my first Turkey Trot, and I brought my twins along for the ride for the baby jogger division. Change of Pace got EVERYTHING right, from providing advance packet pick-​up at Fleet Feet to quickly posting results online. Sure, being pelted by rain and wind while carting 60-​ish pounds aren’t ideal race conditions, but moments after crossing the finish line, I enthusiastically swore I’d return next year.

My first time running in the rain! Thankfully, it was mostly light rain and I had my cheap rain poncho on. It proved to be more of a hindrance since it kept billowing in the rain. I wanted to rip it off, Hulk style, but I kept it on.
The crowd usually thins out as you run but that wasn’t the case here. I constantly had to maneuver around people. Aside from that, it was a fun run! Gobble gobble!

Loved the Turkey Trot this year. 1,660 people in the 5k, 1,196 in the 10k. I like that the race isn’t actually on Thanksgiving because it’s on a weekend instead. Also, it frees up Thanksgiving day if you want to do another race!
This is what makes this race 5-​stars for me:
PROS:
–You can pick up your bib/​shirt packet on the day of the race
–There’s plenty of parking within the general race area
–There was a variety of vendors around
–Printed race results posted about 2 hours after the race
–Race results posted online later that day
–Well staffed — plenty of volunteers
–Well marked — plenty of route guides
–Nice shirts and technical shirt upgrade option, long sleeve shirt option
–The medals for placing in your age division were actually high-​quality. I attached a picture of one.
–Race starts are all staggered.
CONS:
–The only con that I can think of was that there wasn’t that many port o potties for a race this size. They definitely cheaped out on that one.
PLENTY OF OPTIONS! The kids races were really cute.
–Standard 5k/​10k options
–Stroller baby 5k
–1 mile kids race
–0.5 mile kids race
–0.25 mile kids race
–200m yard dash for toddlers!

I just finished my first 10K! Woot Turkey Trot 2011!
Packet pickup was easy.
Race route was clearly marked with chalk, cones, and mile markers.
Tons of volunteers handing out water and cheering for you.
Free stuff! Fruits, chocolate milk, energy gels, energy bars
Super long line for portapotties so make sure you go before leaving the house!
Now I am ready to feast for Turkey Day!

My favorite race because I got second place in my age group way back in 1998… during my best running years. great course and my friend still works for change of pace

Turkey Trot is a great way to spend a couple hours in Davis to either walk or run a 1mile, 5K, or 10K! Kids can participate in the kids event. Parents can also participate in the 5K Baby Jogger/​Stroller Run/​Walk.
Turkey Trot is an annual event in November and over 2500 people participate in the race. I had the opportunity to run the 10K event and the trail was interesting. You get to travel through the outskirts of Davis and most of the trail is throughout the Davis Greenbelt. I never knew that Davis had so many parks!
Water stations are available every couple of miles for the 10K event. I wish there were more cheering crowds, but the volunteers who cheered at the water stations were sufficient.
Once the race is finished, participants and viewers get to visit the sponsors’ booths for samples and more information. I loved how Jamba Juice gave away mini samples of their smoothies. Yum! You can also purchase old Turkey Trot or past Change of Pace sponsored short & long sleeved t-​shirts. Cheap prices for shirts ranging from $ 2-​$ 3.
Overall, the race was fun. The paths were beautiful and I’m glad I got to see parts of Davis that I have never witnessed. The bad part about the race is the lack of space between other runners when we were traveling on the Greenbelt. I wish there was more space to maneuver around slow runners.
Go participate in a Turkey Trot in your local area!