Thanksgiving is right around the corner, followed by the holiday season and finishing off with New Year’s and the proverbial resolution to shed the pounds that you might have put on during the past few months or years. Why not start the season off right and begin Thanksgiving Day with more than just the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and finishing in a ‘turkey coma’? You might be surprised by the number of activities that occur on the Thanksgiving morning. Here is a list of some activities around the country:
28th Fifth Third Turkey Trot (Detroit, MI): This foot race has an event for most fitness levels – 1 mile run, 5K run, 10K run and 5K walk. What makes this Detroit event fun for the entire family is the costume contest with prizes for Best Centipede, Best Running Floats, Best Dogs and more! This event starts at 7am and ends with the Thanksgiving Day parade.
Appetite Seminar (Fairfax, CA): This is a mountain bike ride that has happened every year since 1975. This is an unorganized ride that begins around 9am in Fairfax, climbs up to and around Pine Mountain, heads down the infamous Repack hill and ends back in Fairfax. If you are lucky, you might get to ride with any number of mountain bike legends.
Atlanta Half Marathon (Atlanta, GA): An estimated 10,000 people are expected to participate in the Atlanta half marathon which starts at 7:30am on Thanksgiving morning. If 13.1 miles is a little long for you, there is also a 5K event which starts at 7:45am. For the little ones there is the Mashed Potato Mile for the 7-12 and the Drumstick Dash for those under 6. What makes this event unique is there is a Health and Fitness Expo on Tuesday and Wednesday before the event.
Thanksgiving Dinner at Mammoth (Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Mammoth, CA): While not an official event, Mammoth Mountain is offering three types of Thanksgiving dining options so that you can ski or ride all day with your family and not worry a thing about ‘the bird’ or stuffing. One option even offers dining right on the mountain so that you do not have to miss much of the action with your family!
Ice Skating at McCormick Tribune Ice Rink (Chicago, IL): Just in time for Thanksgiving, Chicago’s McCormick Tribune Ice Rink opens on November 19th and will remain open until March 13, 2011. This is an inexpensive way to have fun with the family – skating is free for the general public and skate rental is $10. On Thanksgiving, the rink is open 10am-4pm.
Anthem Turkey Day 5K and 10K (Broomfield, CO): This foot race is the only 10K running race in the Denver area on Thanksgiving morning. The 5K course is touted as ‘super fast’, but is does has USATF certification to back that claim. Not only does this event have a 5K and 10 K race, it also has a walking event, a Family Division for the 5K (four family members run the 5K and their times are averaged) and a Bumpkin Pumpkin Dash for the kids. This is the closest event to where most of the staff will be celebrating Thanksgiving, so this is probably the event we will be participating in to ‘earn our turkey’.
These are just a handful of fitness related events, but there are certainly plenty more out there. If you are a member of a gym, they may be offering special classes during Thanksgiving morning for its members. These classes are often harder, but have more ‘energy’ due to increased number of participants. If you would like to start your Thanksgiving day on the right foot, do a search for ‘turkey trots’ or ‘Thanksgiving Day events’ in your area.
Be sure to tell us of other events in your area