Thu, Nov 26, 2026

Traverse City Turkey Trot

Traverse City, MI

Registration openAnnual since at least 2016

5K5 Miles

Entry is $25 now and rises to $30 after Sep 24, 2026, so registering before then saves $5.

About the Traverse City Turkey Trot

The race starts and finishes at a high school, and the course runs through Traverse City on pavement that the organizers treat ahead of time when weather allows. Northern Michigan can mean anything this time of year, so expect conditions underfoot to vary. There are a couple of distance options, from a shorter run to a longer one, and dogs are welcome on the course.

Packet pickup runs the evening before at the high school gymnasium, with a second window on race morning for late registrants. If you register close to the race, complete your registration online before you arrive; there are no onsite computers for last-minute pickups.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near Traverse City 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 big 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

1,544finishers

17:42winner

43:08median

1:31:40cutoff

Top 3: Robert Lohr (17:42) · Craig Manning (18:06) · Carter Dean (18:13)

5 Miles · 2025 results

187finishers

31:01winner

46:20median

1:18:27cutoff

Top 3: Jacob Dean (31:01) · Eli VanPoortfliet (31:05) · Joshua Lycka (31:12)

The Traverse City Turkey Trot has been held every year since at least 2016. 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 Sep 10, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K11/26/2026 09:00$25

5 Miles11/26/2026 08:45$30

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 Traverse City — 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 Traverse City Turkey Trot

Will I finish last at the Traverse City Turkey Trot?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 43:08, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:31:40, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Traverse City Turkey Trot a good first 5K?

With 1,544 finishers there are runners at every pace, so you are never out on your own. 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 Traverse City Turkey Trot?

The 5K winner ran 17:42 while the median finisher took 43:08. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.