I just love a good turkey trot! I started running the annual Thanksgiving Day Columbus Turkey Trot last year when I realized it started right down the street from my aunt's house, where we gather for Thanksgiving every year. I couldn't pass it up. This year, I talked my two cousins into joining me for the 5-miler. We had a blast! It's a pretty decent size race. The start and finish is located at the Whole Foods in Upper Arlington/Columbus. You basically run down Lane Avenue through campus,around the OSU stadium, and make your way back up Lane to the finish. The first 1/2 of the race is completely downhill with little elevation which only means one thing...the last mile is a long, very long...drawn out hill to the finish line. Although there isn't much parking available around the Whole Foods shopping plaza, many people just filled up the side streets around the are and walked to the start. Since my aunt lives three blocks way, we were able to walk down and avoid having to deal with parking. There is one aid station at the 1/2 way mark on the course. It was filled with a decent amount of volunteers and there was even a nice little crowd cheering us on as we trotted down by the stadium, I was impressed. I have to say, the best part about this race is the first 1,000 men and women finishers each get a Whole Foods Pumpkin Pie! They are simply delicious..so of course, that is half the reason why I run this particular race- due to my sweet tooth:) There is no expo for this race, just your typical fun turkey trot! All packet pick-up took place at both the Whole Foods and our local Front Runner's store in U.A a good week prior to the race and ran through Wednesday evening. I thought that was very accommodating to participants.

With so many turkey trots around Columbus, there are too many options to count. I definitely enjoyed this trot and will continue my annual tradition in Upper Arlington...as long as the Pumpkin Pies remain at the finish line:)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!