Bare Bones Turkey Trot - Mattoon

Bare Bones Turkey Trot - Mattoon is held in Mattoon, Illinois, on November 26, 2026, Thanksgiving Day. Hosted by the Mattoon YMCA, it offers two distances, a 5 Mile (about 8 km) and a 3 Mile (about 4.8 km), both starting together at 6:00 a.m., well before sunrise, so plan on reflective layers and something warm for the wait at the start.

True to its name, this is a no-frills event: the focus is on getting out the door and covering the distance before the holiday. The 3 Mile suits beginners and families who want a short, easy effort, while the 5 Mile gives regular runners a chance for a solid tempo run or a late-season time trial. If you are targeting the longer distance, four to six weeks of three runs a week, one of them a little longer than the others, will have you comfortable on race morning. A sister event, the Bare Bones Turkey Trot Toledo, is run the same morning in Toledo, Illinois.