Troy, New York, 60th Annual Turkey Trot

Looking for a way to make yourself extra hungry for Thanksgiving dinner this year? Think about participating in your local Turkey Trot. It's a great way to stay out of the cook's way and burn off all those calories that will be consumed later in the day.

If you'll be in the Albany New York area for the holiday this year, consider participating in Troy's 60^th annual turkey trot. The city of Troy will be hosting the 12^th oldest race in the country this Thanksgiving morning with 5,000 people expected to participate.

Five races are scheduled for November 22 starting at 8AM. At 8:00, the 1.5 mile turkey walk begins. 8:45AM marks the start of the grade school one mile race. The kids will enjoy the 40 yard mascot race that begins at 9:15 with Trotter the Turkey competing against his friends. The open 5k (or 3.1 miles) will start at 9:30 and the open 10k (or 6.2 miles) will start an hour later at 10:30AM. You can register online at to save yourself some time the morning of the race. Online registration needs to be completed by 3PM on November 16. There is no fee for the 1.5 mile turkey walk. The other races are $15 with pre-registration and $25 just before the start of the race.

The first 3200 runners will get a free t-shirt. Participation medals are given to the first 4000 finishers. Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 me and women in the 5k and 10k races.

The Turkey Trot is considered an out and back, flat and fast race. It starts and ends at Troy City Hall Monument Square on the corner of River Street and Broadway.

Chips are being used to record times. The small chip placed on your shoelace will automatically record your start and finish time for the race to give you an accurate time.

The race is a great bonding activity to do with family from out of town. It will give you an opportunity to interact with one another rather than sitting in front of the television watching football all day. Since there are so many different races taking place Thanksgiving morning, all members of the family will be able to participate.