Leonia Turkey Trot

Leonia Turkey Trot is run in Leonia, New Jersey, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026, with two formats an hour apart. The 5K run / walk (3.1 miles) starts at 8:00 a.m., and the 1 Mile Run follows at 9:00 a.m. That spacing means running both is realistic: race the 5K, catch your breath, then jog the mile with family.

Taken on its own, the 5K is the more serious of the two and works equally well as a hard effort for regular runners or as a walkable first race. The mile is short enough to be fun rather than daunting, which makes it a good introduction for children. If you are only doing one, warm up properly for it, since both distances are short enough that you will be at race pace within a minute of the start. A month of consistent easy running, with one weekly session of faster repeats, prepares you for either.