The Dubuque Turkey Trot is one of the older races in Dubuque, Iowa. In 2013, they celebrated their 41st year running, and it was my first time running this race. This year was the first year for their new course. Changing the race from either a 7.5 or 2.5 mile course to either a 5 or 2.5 mile run, I decided why not run it for the first time? Now for those who do not know Dubuque, you do not know how hilly it can be. And with Wahlert High School being on a hill and the starting line, you know that the run is going to be a hilly one. I chose to do the full 5 miles.

Now the course is tough like I said. The 2.5 mile course is really tough and the 5 mile run is twice as hard, only reason being is that the 5 mile run is actually the 2.5 run done twice. You start off by going up a small hill, then down hill for a ways, flatten for about .5-.75 miles, then steep uphill for another .5-.75 miles. It does help that, although a local race, this run has about 1500 people who run it every year. There is one problem with all these people in the fact that there is no organization of runners and walkers. So those who are running and dont want to be next to the faster runners all the way at the front will 100% be weaving during the first .5-1 mile.

The tshirts are okay, they are a unisex fit, so if you are a woman, do not expect your shirt to fit like you would want. The age division prizes are unique as well, you get a certificate for a free turkey.

One of the biggest drawbacks to this race is the parking situation. You can either park in the school lot, which, I should mention, is on the course and you cannot leave while there are runners in the way, or you can park on the street, which also can be tough to get in and out of there. Especially with this race being on Thanksgiving, having the accessibility to get in and get out can be important.

I would recommend this race to anyone in the Dubuque area during the holidays looking for a challenge to prepare them for the feast ahead.

For more info and pictures, check out my blog: http://theracecritic.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-turkey-trot.html

This race was a lot of fun! I ran the race during the first year and for the first time being ran it was organized very well and the turn out was great. The course was a fairly easy course as well with no big hills or elevation changes too and with it being in July, they had water stops along the route which was nice just to cool off with. It is definitely a race I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun, local 5k with a wonderful cause (you run past the hospital the funds go to).