Valparaiso Turkey Trot

Valparaiso Turkey Trot takes place in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, 2026. The event is a single 5K (3.1 miles), with the start scheduled for 8:00 a.m. It is a simple, no-frills format that fits neatly into a holiday schedule: race early, then head home for the rest of the day.

Northwest Indiana in late November is usually cold, so a hat, gloves, and a layer you can tie around your waist are worth bringing to the 8:00 a.m. start. As a race, the 5K suits a wide range of runners. Beginners can use it as a first timed event, with the goal simply to run the whole way; a month of three easy runs per week is enough to get there. Runners with more experience often use a Thanksgiving 5K to close out the fall season with a fast effort, in which case keep your mileage stable through November, do one short interval session per week, and rest the two days before the race. Start controlled through the first mile and let the pace build from there.