Thu, Nov 26, 2026

Arlington Heights Turkey Trot

Arlington Heights, IL

Registration openAnnual since at least 2025

5K100m

About the Arlington Heights Turkey Trot

The race starts and finishes at a middle school on Thanksgiving morning, with a kids fun run going off before the main field. Entry fees go directly to a local food pantry, and runners are encouraged to bring shelf-stable food items to drop off at the start. The course is not described in detail, but the charitable focus is the clear center of gravity here.

Bib pickup runs the evening before at the same school, with race-morning pickup available near the front entrance for anyone who cannot make it the day before. The main school lot has parking, with overflow directed to a nearby church lot and additional options in the public garages a few blocks north in downtown Arlington Heights.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near Arlington Heights on your radar: a Monday look ahead and a Thursday rundown of the weekend's races.

Two helpful emails per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a decent-sized field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

5K · 2025 results

388finishers

16:09winner

31:24median

23:24:23cutoff

Top 3: Pierce Baker (16:09) · John FitzPatrick (16:15) · James Hanna (16:27)

The Arlington Heights Turkey Trot has been held every year since at least 2025. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 5K results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K11/26/2026 09:00$20

100m11/26/2026 08:30$10

5K11/26/2026 08:55$20

5K11/26/2026 09:00$20

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Arlington Heights — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.

The map is provided by Stay22. If you book through it, RunSesh may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it never affects the races we list.

Common Questions About the Arlington Heights Turkey Trot

Will I finish last at the Arlington Heights Turkey Trot?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 31:24, and the last recorded finisher came in around 23:24:23, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Arlington Heights Turkey Trot a good first 5K?

A field of 388 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Arlington Heights Turkey Trot?

The 5K winner ran 16:09 while the median finisher took 31:24. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.