Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot #blog

The Dallas Turkey Trot is an extremely popular race in North Texas, but I may be done with it.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great cause and the course is not bad, but there’s just too many people.  It takes place on Thanksgiving morning in downtown Dallas.  “Runners” can choose between the 5K or 8 mile option.  Traditionally a group of our family and friends make our way down there for the 8 mile race.  But we didn’t do it this year, and probably won’t again until they get a coral system or staggered start times, or the like.

Before the race with moms, friends, sis, and 39,995 of our closest co-trotters.

I think they have around 40,000 people who show up.  Most do the 5K.  Many of them are walkers.  Many of them have strollers, or dogs, or strollers with dogs in them (no joke, I actually saw this!).  Many force their way as close to the start line as possible.  The result is a lot of bobbing and weaving.  It does clear up for us 8 milers after we pass the finish for the 5K, but before that it is chaos on the course.  And I have a theory why there are so many people who do this race:  For many of them, this is the only race they’ll do all year, which is fine, but I think that they think if they walk/run 3.1 miles then they can over-eat all Turkey Day guilt-free.  That’s just my working theory tho, I’m still in the research phase.

Tailgating after the race in a scenic location.

That all said, I hope they get it worked out.  It has just gotten too big and out of hand for my taste.  If they can get the start figured out, I’d love to come back to it.  We’ll see what happens.  In the mean time, since I knew I wouldn’t have a speedy time, I took this race not so seriously….as evident in the video below of my sis and I finishing the 8 miler last  year.

I thought the running man was an appropriate dance to do in the middle of a run.  I need to find a robot run to race next.

Peace out Internet!