The Buffalo Turkey Trot is an annual 8K (4.97 miles) Thanksgiving footrace held in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

each

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

. The Buffalo Turkey Trot, a popular fundraiser for the local branch of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

, runs five miles down Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.

History

The race proclaims itself to be the oldest continually running public footrace in North America, having established itself in 1896 and run every year since, even during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. The

Around the Bay Road Race The Around the Bay Road Race (ATB) is a long distance road race annually in Hamilton, Ontario. The event currently features a 30 kilometer race, a 5 kilometer race, relay races, and virtual races. First held in 1894, it is the oldest long dist ...

in nearby Hamilton, Ontario, first run in 1894, also claims the title of Oldest Long-Distance Road Race in North America, although that race was not held during World War I, a ten-year stretch between 1925 and 1935, or in 2020 or 2021. Likewise, the Bemis Forslund Pie Race, the oldest footrace of any distance on the continent, has been held since 1891, but was canceled in 1936 due to a scarlet fever epidemic, and thus the Buffalo Turkey Trot has had the longer ''continuous'' run. It is a mere five months older than the Boston Marathon, launched April 1897. The Turkey Trot has increased in popularity in recent years. In 1981, the race drew slightly over 1,000 runners. By 1986, the field had doubled in size to 2,000 runners. It drew a crowd of 12,500 runners (the maximum the YMCA would allow) for the 2010 race, resulting in the YMCA arranging to increase capacity and accommodate 13,200 runners in 2011, which also maxed out several days before Thanksgiving.Rey, Jay (November 20, 2011)
Facing the Thanksgiving frenzy
''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved November 21, 2011. The race again filled the expanded 14,000-runner field over a week before Thanksgiving in 2012. For the 2020 event, the YMCA reduced the field to 125 runners, but added a virtual race that will allow other participants to choose any 8-kilometer path of their choosing during Thanksgiving weekend; the limited field allowed the race to continue to claim a continuous streak of operations, while at the same time maintaining

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...

during the coronavirus pandemic. The race is partially a serious competition and partially a

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors pr ...

; participants in the Turkey Trot have been known to wear unusual costumes (comparable to those used by the contestants in the game show ''

Let's Make a Deal ''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...

'') such as turkey suits, hockey uniforms with mullets, Chewbacca outfits, or formal wedding wear while racing. Former Headmen from

Camp Pathfinder Camp Pathfinder is a boys' Summer camp in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. The camp is best known for its canoe tripping program. Pathfinder follows a tradition of using wood and canvas canoes. Several other camps in Algonquin and elsewh ...

have portaged 16 foot wooden and canvas canoes the entire length of the race.Graham, Tim (November 24, 2011)
Pollow takes third consecutive Turkey Trot amid the goofballs
''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved November 24, 2011. Due to limited capacity because of the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, each of the 125 runners had to pay a $1,000 entry fee to participate. The entry fee for 2021 ranges from $37 to $42, depending on the date of registration.Registration for the 126th annual YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot opens Thursday
''WKBW-TV''. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.

History

References

See also