COST: This Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot is offered for a cheap price ($17 or free if you've ran another event with this company within the year) AND they offer it twice; the day of Thanksgiving and an early bird event the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. I ran 2 of their races this summer so I jumped on the opportunity for a free race. However, you have to pay extra if you want the swag. I bought the finishers' medal ($7) and a long sleeve cotton shirt ($15)...so it wasn't truly a free race for me because I like to collect medals and shirts from all events.

PARKING: It is close to the course and free.

COURSE: It is a 3 mile loop so if you run the 10K, 15K, or half marathon option, you're running a loop. This didn't bother me. There were a couple of hills. I think I recall 2 water stations (I used my handheld bottle so I didn't pay much attention). For those running the 15K or half marathon, I believe the participants needed to bring their own gels/electrolytes.

ORGANIZATION: Strollers, dogs, and kids (parents are supposed to register them) are allowed on the course, so keep that in mind if you're looking for courses that do or don't allow this. The announcer made a PSA and asked that the fast runners line up in the front and walkers in the back, which was so nice for the FAST runners! Like most races without corrals, it did get very cluttered after the race started. There were a lot of participants, it took me almost 1 min 30 seconds just to get to the start line once the race started and I lined up where I thought I should (middle of the pack).

CONS:
-The finish line was CLUTTERED with finishers just standing around blocking those who were sprinting into the finish zone. I heard the announcer ask that finishers please move out of that zone but there were no volunteers escorting runners/walkers out of the finish line.
-Those who already finished the race had to cut across the course to get to the other side of the sidewalks when walking to their cars or to get to family/friends. Most seemed to be aware of the runners, while others didn't.
-It isn't a closed course so runners had to be aware to run inside of the cones on the roads. Random people were on the course. A couple guys (no bibs) were laughing and smoking cigarettes right next to all the runners.

AWARDS/RESULTS: They offered age group awards and had one mounted screen that showed finish times (the other screen wasn't working). For those who didn't wait around to see their times, results were posted the next day online. I like that they show you gun time and chip time.

FOOD/VENDORS: Finishers were offered water, bananas and Whole Foods brand cereal bars. I also saw a yogurt vendor.

I thought it was well ran and will opt to run this course again if I don't run the downtown half marathon next year. Their races are great for those who prefer smaller crowds.

This year, the location of the race was moved to Old Fourth Ward. I ran the 5K. We started 15 minutes after the half marathon runners took off at 8am.

PARKING: Participants were advised to park at Ponce City Market (you have to pay to park but it's not pricey compared to other Atlanta lots) or on the street.

COURSE: The course is stroller friendly but they'll tell you to line up in the back (even if you're a runner). I thought it was pretty hilly, especially in the beginning. I wouldn't consider it a particularly "easy/fast" course (and this course wasn't certified). It was also 37 degrees F and WINDY so I ran much slower than I anticipated and I even had to take a couple of quick walk breaks because I had a hard time with the hills and weather. It was cool/hip to run through O4W! The 5K course had one water stop (not sure about the half marathon course). There were no mile markers for either course from what I saw (and heard from a half marathon runner).

It was a big race so it was a VERY slow start once the "gun" went off. The DJ or directors didn't make an announcement directing walkers towards the back and I heard a lot of people complaining about this while some groups of walkers took up the entire walkway (groups of friends/family/matching costumes), prohibiting runners to pass safely. Additionally, some kids ran fast and quickly stopped repeatedly in front of runners, it just didn't feel safe for the first half mile.

PACKET PICKUP: Pickup was at West Stride in Atlanta. I went the day before on a Saturday. There were two people in charge of the pickup and it was very slow moving. From what I can see, everyone received the same shirt, a short sleeve V-neck tech shirt. I wish we could have received a long sleeve, or maybe the half marathoners could receive an upgrade to long sleeve tops or hoodies since they paid a lot more money.

POST RACE: They offered bananas, Bai drinks, bottled water, protein bars, and Chik Fila cows. I heard the half marathon runners may have had less vendors there at the finish, according to a runner in a run group I'm in.

I received an email that registration is already open for 2018. I'd run the 5K again!

I finally ran the Big Peach Sizzler and I'm quite pleased with the race experience.

BIB PICKUP: Available the Saturday and Sunday prior to the race. The store is in Brookhaven plaza which is really busy and parking is tough to find sometimes. They offer bib pickup the morning of the race. A perk of going to the store: free snow cone was offered this year! They require an ID to pick up bibs.

PARKING: Free and available at the Marta station where the race starts. You can park at your local station or at the course end and take Marta to the start. I got there at 6:15am and the lot filled up quickly. They offered free shuttles that took racers back to the starting line.

COURSE: "Gentle enough" hills but flat otherwise. I PR'd and heard this is a great course to do that at!
There were aid stations every 1.5 miles that offered water. There is a big party at the end with free food, samples, water, bananas, and music. They also post live results. Though we had to share the road with cars, they did a good job with cones to keep us where we needed to be and there are cops throughout the course so I felt safe.

Fun race for a great cause. A must do!