FAM Turkey Trot

FAM Turkey Trot is held in West Des Moines, Iowa, on November 26, 2026, with a single format on the schedule: a 5K walk / run (3.1 miles) starting at 9:00 a.m. One distance and one start make it an easy race to fit around a holiday morning, with plenty of time afterward for the rest of the day.

Distances this short do not require a dedicated build, which is the point of a Thanksgiving 5K. Anyone running three or four times a week can show up and race it; anyone starting from scratch can walk the whole thing in under an hour. To make the effort feel controlled rather than desperate, spend the last few weeks adding one session of shorter, faster repetitions to your normal easy running, then hold back slightly over the first half mile on race day. Central Iowa in late November is cold at 9:00 a.m., so keep an extra layer on until just before the start.