Thanksgiving morning is often a blur of last-minute meal preparation and frenzied chores. But for Beth Thomas, who typically hosts her family at her Boston-area home, most of the work in the kitchen is already done.
Instead, she laces up her sneakers and warms up for a 5K Turkey Trot run with her two sons.
“It’s just a fun thing for us to do, knowing probably seven hours later, everyone’s going to be passed out on the couch after having overindulged appropriately. It’s a high point for us to be out there,” said Thomas. “Why not start the day doing something that we really love and then eat a lot of good food later?”
Turkey Trots have become an enduring tradition for many people on and around Thanksgiving. There are thousands of races, ranging from about 1 mile to a full marathon.
Run Signup, a platform where runners can register and fundraise for races, calls Thanksgiving “the biggest US running day of the year.” More and more people are joining in, it said; 2023 saw the highest number of turkey trotters ever registered on the site, with almost 1 million runners across the country.
Some do it for fitness, others for family and community, and many are also raising money for charities. The races attract both novices and serious runners.
There are also Turkey Trots that go by other names: Gobble Wobbles, Drumstick Dashes and Huffing for Stuffings. While most races are held on Thanksgiving Day, some take place the weekend before or after.
Thomas and her sons have run in Thanksgiving races for several years. Sometimes other relatives join them. Still others cheer them on from the sidelines.
Thanksgiving exercise events are by no means a novel idea. Just ask the 14,000 participants in the upcoming Turkey Trot in Buffalo, New York, which will be the local YMCA’s 129th annual race.
Mike Baggerman, the communications director at the YMCA Buffalo Niagara, said Buffalo’s race — officially a year older than the Boston Marathon — has become a hallmark for the community.
While some runners show up for the 8K race with a competitive spirit and achieve record-setting times, the overwhelming majority are “people like you and me who just want to have something fun to do on Thanksgiving Day.”
Children and people who use wheelchairs are frequent participants, Baggerman said.
“It’s one of the most memorable races,” he said. “It’s a fun run.”
Many beginning runners train in the weeks and months leading up to Thanksgiving to compete in a Turkey Trot. Even for those who don’t run regularly, the jolt of activity — perhaps a mix of walking and running — can feel good.
Prioritizing exercise and movement during a week when many have long to-do lists and multiple stressors is often difficult, said dietician and Michigan-based fitness instructor Casey Young. To her, Thanksgiving races can not only help people reach their physical activity goals but also help stabilize their mood and reduce stress.
“Holidays tend to be such a stressful time for a lot of people, and sometimes people are traveling, and that can add some additional stress and get you out of your typical routine,” Young said. “So, anytime we have an opportunity to move our body is a positive thing.”
Exercise may prompt people to be “more mindful and intentional” when plating up later, Young said, but she warns against the mentality that the purpose of the exertion is to earn a decadent Thanksgiving meal or to burn it off afterward. That could foster an “unhealthy relationship with food.”
Turkey trotters should instead emphasize the physical activity and its health benefits, she said.
Beyond the physical and mental benefits, many turkey trotters lean into the holiday’s spirit of thankfulness and giving back.
Some of the races are organized as fundraisers in partnership with local organizations. Registration fees for participants and donations on their behalf often benefit causes like food banks, homeless shelters and community programs.
Baggerman said the Buffalo Niagara YMCA’s turkey trot is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, raising money for affordable childcare, community classes, health and wellness programs, and efforts to combat food insecurity.
“It’s more than just a fun 5-mile run on Thanksgiving Day. It’s something that helps the YMCA achieve its mission, which is to strengthen the western New York community,” he said. “For Buffalo people to step up every single year and sell this race out at 14,000, it’s a miracle.”
FILE - A runner takes part in the 49th annual Mile High United Way Turkey Trot in southeast Denver on Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - Runners take part in the 49th annual Mile High United Way Turkey Trot in southeast Denver on Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FUENGIROLA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal felt a hand on his left shoulder as he walked out of a conference room at a resort on Spain's southern coast Monday following his first question-and-answer session with reporters since announcing this week's Davis Cup Final 8 will be his last event before retirement.
Nadal turned to see Carlos Alcaraz, his Spanish teammate and heir apparent, who wanted to whisper something. Nadal, 38, and Alcaraz, 21, might share a court one last time on Tuesday, when Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga.
Then again, maybe they won’t both play Tuesday: Neither Nadal nor Spain's captain, David Ferrer, would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will participate. What is clear is that Nadal's career soon will be over.
What will he miss the most?
“I mean, probably the feeling of competition, (to) go on court and see the fans out there, the atmosphere when you play big matches,” Nadal said. “And at the end of the day, (it) is about the adrenaline that you feel before, at the end, and during the match.”
The Spain-Netherlands winner will play in the semifinals on Friday against Canada or Germany. The championship will be decided on Sunday.
“I’m not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition, and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later,” said Nadal, wearing the squad’s red polo shirt with a tiny red-and-yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.
“I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement,” Nadal said. “It will be a big change in my life after this week.”
Nadal said it doesn’t “make sense to keep going, knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive, because my body” won’t allow it.
At the team news conference held at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the competition venue, Nadal was asked how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play.
“That’s a question for the captain,” Nadal responded, drawing a laugh from Ferrer, sitting to the star player's left.
Ferrer's answer?
“I don’t know yet,” he said.
Perhaps this will factor in: Nadal is 29-1 in his Davis Cup singles career, a .967 winning percentage that is the highest for anyone who has played more than 15 matches. Way back in 2004, Nadal lost his Davis Cup debut to the Czech Republic's Jiri Novak — and he's won all 29 matches in a row since.
There will be two matches in singles and one in doubles in each matchup. Nadal could appear just in singles, just in doubles — perhaps alongside Alcaraz, his partner at the Paris Olympics — in both, or not at all.
“Maybe we can be a part of that story of his finish here,” Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann said, looking ahead to a possible semifinal. “It would be nice to get a chance to play against him one more time.”
Ferrer's lineup doesn't need to be submitted until 4 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), an hour before play begins. The reason the 9,200-capacity arena is sold out for Tuesday: It could be the last chance to see Nadal play a match that matters.
“His last moments on court probably are going to be super special. Not (just) for me, but for everyone,” Alcaraz said. “It's going to be an emotional day.”
Nadal has been dealing with a series of injuries the past two seasons and has been limited to only 23 official singles matches in that span, including a 12-7 record this year.
“OK, I can hold for one more year. But why? To say goodbye in every single tournament? I don’t have that ego to need that,” Nadal said, adding that he has “been thinking for a long time” about retiring.
He hasn't played a real match since the Paris Games in early August, when he lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of doubles.
“I’ve tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to give my best for this event," Nadal said. "When you don’t compete so often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that.”
AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni in Madrid contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
David Ferrer, captain of Team Spain, attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, left, and Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
