Disclaimer: I am participating in the NYRR Virtual Turkey Trot as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

I love running races. There’s a certain excitement to running with a big group of people, all focused on the same goal of getting to the finish that just cannot be beat. But I will be the first to admit that racing isn’t easy. 

Racing is fun, but a bit chaotic

Besides the actual running part of the race, which of course is hard, racing can be difficult for the sheer amount of time involved. You’ve got to drive to where the race is, find parking, get there early enough to wait in line for the port-a-potties, and be to the start line. Then after you run the race, there is usually the after party, while fun, is even more time outside in the elements, which I don’t usually mind unless the weather is bad. For example, last weekend, I had an 8K. The actual running portion of the race only lasted me 40 minutes. But when all was said in done, the race experience lasted almost 4 hours! 

Sometimes, I love it, but some days I’ve got things to do! One of these days was today, Thanksgiving Day. I really really wanted to do a Turkey Trot, cause, FUN! but I really really needed to get on the road to drive to my brother’s house 2 hours away for our big family meal. Solution – Virtual Turkey Trot!

The NYRR, who host all kinds of fun (and usually free) Virtual Races (see here for my blog on the Virtual 13.1 Half I ran in September: http://box5183.temp.domains/~joshuany/runnerdgirl/2019/10/virtually-crossing-that-finish-line.html), is sponsoring the NYRR Virtual Turkey Trot 5K. All you have to do to participate in this FREE Turkey Trot is to register on the NYRR Virtual Race site (https://www.nyrr.org/races/nyrrvirtualturkeytrot5k) and accept the Challenge on your Strava account. That’s it. All you have to do is run your 5K anytime between the challenge dates (Nov. 23 – Dec. 1) and mark your run as a Race on Strava and you’ve done it! You’ll join over 14,000 other Virtual Turkey Trotters all over the world in Virtual Turkey Trot glory.

So, today, I got up bright and early and bundled up for the chilly Fall morning to put in my Turkey Trot 5K. It was really awesome to just get up, head out, run my 5K and then be done. No fuss, no muss. I was able to get home, get cleaned up and get on the road in time for a yummy Thanksgiving lunch with my family. All bases covered. 

And more good news, you can still compete! You can register for the NYRR Virtual Turkey Trot until December 1st. Just head on over here: https://www.nyrr.org/races/nyrrvirtualturkeytrot5k and register.

How about you? Did you celebrate Thanksgiving with a Turkey Trot, virtual or otherwise? Maybe you decided to sleep in and focus on the meal instead. Either way, I hope that you have and amazing Thanksgiving. And hopefully, unlike me, your 9 year old won’t lick the drumsticks before your meal is served! 

Really, kid!!