5 Emerging Running Trends for 2026
Here is a quick look at five key running trends that will emerge in 2026 based on what we saw at The Running Event trade show.
What are Americans grateful for on Thanksgiving Day? Family, food, football, and turkey trot fun runs!
Thanksgiving Day has evolved beyond just a feast or a day of reflection and gratefulness. For millions of people across the U.S., the holiday now begins with a tradition of pavement pounding: the turkey trot.
These runs, typically 5K races or shorter fun runs, are a popular and active way for communities to gather, and support local charities before the afternoon’s culinary indulgences. (The term “turkey trot” also historically refers to a dance craze from the early 1900s, which was a variation of the one-step dance performed to ragtime music.) The turkey trot has become a staple of American culture, embodying the spirit of gratitude, community, and health during the holiday season.
In 2024, 1.1 million Americans participated in 936 Thanksgiving races, and early 2025 data shows similar growth with 977 races already scheduled.
If you need to find one in your area, check this race database, or this list from Great Runs. Don’t want to run on the roads? Consider these turkey trot races on trails! There are also great turkey trot runss for vegans, dog lovers, competitive runners, and even faster runners.
1896 — The oldest documented and continually run turkey trot race is the YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot in Buffalo, New York, which started in 1896 and now attracts about 14,000 runners annually.
5 — About 92 percent of turkey trot fun runs offer a 5K option, making it the overwhelming favorite for families and casual runners.
1912 — That’s when the town of Cuero, Texas, hosted a unique “turkey trot” in which the participants were actual domestic turkeys herded down Main Street.
96 — Duration, in hours, of what is believed to be the longest virtual turkey trot in the U.S. (In 2013 Scott Kummer and Alfredo Pedro Perro ran approximately 92 miles from Chicago to Milwaukee for no particular reason. Shortly thereafter Perro was diagnosed with ALS, and in 2015, he succumbed to the disease. Perrio and raise money for charity, Kummer and his friends have run from Chicago to Milwaukee or vice versa every year.)
50 — There are turkey trot races in every single state in the U.S. (And there’s also one in Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the U.S.)
2011 — The year the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys, with 661 participants.
44,000 — The largest turkey trot in the U.S. is the Turkey Trot Chicago, which draws about 44,000 participants. Other major turkey trots include the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in San Jose, California, and the Run to Feed the Hungry in Sacramento, California, which both feature over 30,000 runners.
$3.6 million — Amount of money that turkey trots raised for charitable causes in 2024. (That’s up from the $1.9 million raised at turkey trot races in 2023.)
9,000 — Elevation in feet of the highest Thanksgiving Day race, which takes place in Frisco, Colorado.
