Iron Turkey 5K

Iron Turkey 5K is run in El Paso, Texas, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026. The event offers a single format, a 5K (3.1 miles), with an early start at 7:30 a.m. that leaves the rest of the holiday free. It is a road run over the classic short distance, open to anyone who wants to get a workout in before the meal.

An early-morning 5K in far West Texas at the end of November is usually cool at the start and warms up quickly, so a light layer you can remove after the first mile works well. If you are running for time, this distance rewards a few weeks of short interval work, such as 6 to 8 repeats of 400 meters at goal pace once a week, on top of steady easy running, with a lighter week before the race. First-time racers should focus on running the distance comfortably two or three times in the month beforehand and on arriving early enough to jog an easy ten-minute warm-up. Either way, the 7:30 a.m. start means you are done before most of the city is awake.