Big Bear Turkey Trot

Big Bear Turkey Trot is held in Big Bear Lake, California, on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, 2026. The event offers one distance, a 3 Miles run (about 4.8 km), starting at 9:30 a.m. It follows the familiar turkey trot format: a short community run on the morning of the holiday, easy to fit in before the day's gatherings, with a late enough start that you can sleep in a bit and still warm up properly.

Three miles is just under a 5K, so any 5K preparation applies directly: four to six weeks of three runs per week, with one run gradually extended to 30 minutes, is plenty for newer runners, while experienced runners can go out for a hard, controlled effort and treat it as a fitness check before the winter months. Walking part or all of the route is a fine option if you are coming with family. Give yourself ten minutes of easy jogging before the start so the first mile does not feel like a shock.