Any Thanksgiving Race

Racing on Thanksgiving Day? Aren’t you supposed to spend the day watching TV and overeating? What’s next, racing on New Year’s Eve? Well, I’ve done that, too, which may have been taking things a bit far, but there’s nothing strange about going to a race on the most American of holidays. After all, what better way to work up an appetite for dinner?
Just the Facts
I’m guessing that you can figure out when these are held. Where are they? Believe it or not, in most towns that have a strong running community. Races on Thanksgiving Day morning have become as much of a celebratory running tradition as Fourth of July races. Check the sources I told you about in Chapter 18 to find a Thanksgiving Day race in your area.
Why Give Thanks on the Run?
The first road race of my life was the Manchester Road Race, a 4.75-miler held every
Thanksgiving Day morning on the streets of Manchester, Connecticut. Even when I first
did it, in 1966, it was a tradition-laden New England
event. I won the high school division in a time of
25:18. At the time, it was the longest race of my life. I don’t remember much about the race except that it seemed like an awfully long way. But I liked the feeling of being competent over this distance, which was more than what I was used to racing in high school races.
More than 20 years later, I was able to set a master’s course record in that race. I haven’t run the Manchester race in a while, but I always try to run in some event on Thanksgiving Day. You should, too. Why? To me, running a race is the ideal way to give thanks for having a healthy body that’s under your control.
Thanksgiving Day races, like most holiday events, are celebratory affairs. You’re out there with your family and friends, you have a lot of fun with bunches of other runners, and then you head home for a great dinner. Most Thanksgiving Day races give portions of their entry fees to food banks, or they encourage runners to bring cans of food to help the less fortunate.