Dallas Turkey Trot
Encyclopedia
The Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot (commonly called The Trot) is an annual footrace over an 8 miles (12.9 km) course through the city of Dallas
, Texas
(USA
). There is also a 3 miles (4.8 km) Fun run
; however, official results for the fun run are not recorded. In 2005, 3,843 harriers completed the 8 miles (12.9 km) Trot, in addition to 22,668 runners in the 3 miles (4.8 km), making the Dallas Turkey Trot
the largest Thanksgiving race in the United States
and the second-biggest footrace in the state of Texas, with 26,511 total registered runners.
The race is produced by the YMCA
and has been run every year since 1968. 2008's title sponsor is Capital One Bank. The Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot is held on Thanksgiving Day
and attracts elite competitors and amateurs from all 50 states in America and 10 countries.
The race includes both runners and wheelchair racers
.
in Dallas. The 8 miles (12.9 km) began running annually in 1968, with 107 runners being instructed to start from the Bath House Cultural Center
at White Rock Lake
and run along the lake "to the big oaktree and back." However, the course was actually 8.2 miles (13.2 km). Ralph Trimble won the event in a time of 41:59, and Nancy Norvell was the winner on the women's side in 54:40.
The race quickly rose in popularity, and in 1979, The Trot was moved to the downtown area
, near Dallas City Hall
. The 3 miles (4.8 km) Fun Run was added in 1984 in order to accommodate the increased participation of children and families.
and two left turns, the race resumes for a long stretch on Elm Street, entering Deep Ellum
. At historic Commerce Street, after leaving Deep Ellum, the 3-milers turn left to the finish.
Still on Elm Street, runners pass by the Bank of America Plaza
. Elm turns into Houston Street, passing Dealey Plaza
. The course then winds around site of the former Reunion Arena
and onto the Houston Street Viaduct for almost two miles (3 km), passing over the Trinity River
.
After a turn around on Zang Boulevard in Oak Cliff
, the race moves on the Jefferson St. Viaduct, "The Mile Long Bridge" parallel to the Houston Strett Viaduct. On Jefferson, runners can see the beautiful Dallas skyline as they reenter Downtown. A quick turn east on Young Street then a slant onto Marrilla terminates the race right next to City Hall.
cross country team, was the overall winner in a time of 39:10, being the first runner to break 40 minutes since 2000, and the fastest time since 1998.
Melisa Christian of Dallas won the woman's event in 45:59. Christian followed up her runner-up finish of 2005's Trot, which was run in 48:11.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). There is also a 3 miles (4.8 km) Fun run
Fun run
A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organisational costs...
; however, official results for the fun run are not recorded. In 2005, 3,843 harriers completed the 8 miles (12.9 km) Trot, in addition to 22,668 runners in the 3 miles (4.8 km), making the Dallas Turkey Trot
Turkey Trot
A Turkey Trot is a fun run or footrace, usually of the long-distance variety, that is held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Americans anticipate indulgent Thanksgiving feasts and run in turkey trots to burn off calories before the big meal....
the largest Thanksgiving race in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the second-biggest footrace in the state of Texas, with 26,511 total registered runners.
The race is produced by the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and has been run every year since 1968. 2008's title sponsor is Capital One Bank. The Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot is held on Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
and attracts elite competitors and amateurs from all 50 states in America and 10 countries.
The race includes both runners and wheelchair racers
Wheelchair racing
Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and road races. Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, amputees, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and partially sighted . Athletes are classified in accordance with the nature and severity of their...
.
History
The original Turkey Trot began in the 1940s and was run at Fair ParkFair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
in Dallas. The 8 miles (12.9 km) began running annually in 1968, with 107 runners being instructed to start from the Bath House Cultural Center
Bath House Cultural Center
The Bath House Cultural Center is the first of six neighborhood cultural centers built and operated by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. It is located on the east shore of White Rock Lake in east Dallas, Texas...
at White Rock Lake
White Rock Lake
White Rock Lake is a reservoir located in east Dallas, Texas . The lake was formed by damming White Rock Creek, which today widens into the lake before continuing south out of the spillway and emptying into the Trinity River...
and run along the lake "to the big oaktree and back." However, the course was actually 8.2 miles (13.2 km). Ralph Trimble won the event in a time of 41:59, and Nancy Norvell was the winner on the women's side in 54:40.
The race quickly rose in popularity, and in 1979, The Trot was moved to the downtown area
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
, near Dallas City Hall
Dallas City Hall
Dallas City Hall is the seat of Dallas municipal government, located at 1500 Marilla in the Government District of downtown Dallas, Texas...
. The 3 miles (4.8 km) Fun Run was added in 1984 in order to accommodate the increased participation of children and families.
The course
The race begins next to City Hall (after one hour, walkers still on the Houston Street Viaduct are asked to observe pedestrian rules and walk on the sidewalk) and goes east on Canton Street for a little more than a mile. After a short time under Interstate 45Interstate 45
Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
and two left turns, the race resumes for a long stretch on Elm Street, entering Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum is an arts and entertainment district near downtown in east Dallas, Texas . It lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets...
. At historic Commerce Street, after leaving Deep Ellum, the 3-milers turn left to the finish.
Still on Elm Street, runners pass by the Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Dallas)
Bank of America Plaza is a 72-story late-modernist skyscraper located in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of , it is the tallest skyscraper in the city of Dallas. It is also the 3rd tallest in Texas and the 22nd tallest in the United States, while...
. Elm turns into Houston Street, passing Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. The course then winds around site of the former Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena was an indoor arena, in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas . It held 18,293 for basketball and 17,001 for ice hockey.It was demolished in November 2009 and the site was cleared by the end of the year.-History:...
and onto the Houston Street Viaduct for almost two miles (3 km), passing over the Trinity River
Trinity River (Texas)
The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....
.
After a turn around on Zang Boulevard in Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff is a community in Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town located in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1903...
, the race moves on the Jefferson St. Viaduct, "The Mile Long Bridge" parallel to the Houston Strett Viaduct. On Jefferson, runners can see the beautiful Dallas skyline as they reenter Downtown. A quick turn east on Young Street then a slant onto Marrilla terminates the race right next to City Hall.
2006
Australian Shawn Forrest, a member of the University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
cross country team, was the overall winner in a time of 39:10, being the first runner to break 40 minutes since 2000, and the fastest time since 1998.
Melisa Christian of Dallas won the woman's event in 45:59. Christian followed up her runner-up finish of 2005's Trot, which was run in 48:11.
2009
The overall winner in 2009 was Justin Meaders in a wheelchair, with a winning time of 38:46. The men's running winner was Scott MacPherson, just behind with a time 38:47. The fastest woman was Melisa Christian with a time of 46:29.Trivia
- Course Records:
- Male: Tom Marino, 37:47 (1980)
- Female: Francie Smith, 42:56 (1990)
- Winningest Runners:
- Male: Ben Moturi - 4 times (1981-84)
- Female: Katie Courtright - 3 times (1999, 2001-02)
See also
- List of winners of the Dallas Turkey Trot
- Buffalo Turkey TrotBuffalo Turkey TrotThe Buffalo Turkey Trot is an annual Thanksgiving footrace held in Buffalo, New York each Thanksgiving Day. The Buffalo Turkey Trot, a popular fundraiser for the local branch of the YMCA, runs five miles down Delaware Avenue in Buffalo....
, another YMCA-sponsored Turkey Trot