This was the second year Skinny Raven has hosted a Turkey Trot, and it was a very popular event! It sold out, featuring 1,500 runners (only 550 in 2012) on an incredibly COLD Thanksgiving morning (a brisk 16 degrees with a windchill of 0!)

Bib pickup was super easy, with opportunities to pick up during the week or the morning of the race. The shirts are nice Brooks technical long sleeve shirts that are really comfortable.

The race took place in downtown Anchorage, and consisted of two full laps around the Delaney Park Strip. Since it was November in Alaska, the course was quite icy and slick, so I had my studded shoes on and still had to run gingerly (my calves were burning by the end!) Since it was laps around the park strip, the terrain was incredibly flat.

The course was well-marked, but there were a lot of people running with strollers and dogs. They didn't have those runners start in the back, so the first half mile for me was doing a lot of dodging and even tripping over the leash of a dog that stopped to use the bathroom in the middle of the course.

It was a very fast race, and I got an huge PR over a race I ran in August with no tough terrain. The first finishers were coming in with times under 16 minutes!

The prizes were really fun, with overall winners and age category winners going home with a Pumpkin Pie.

No medals were given, but the price was very affordable. They also had a guy run in a turkey costume who you could pose with after the race!