Shake a Tail Feather at These Treasure Valley Holiday Runs/Walks

Taking place a few days before Thanksgiving, this unique race gives you a chance to run for your Thanksgiving turkey! The YMCA Turkey Trot is a 4-person relay where each teammate runs a two mile loop through Ann Morrison Park.  Before the race, you’ll be asked to predict how long it will take the four of you to complete the 8 mile circuit.  The best part?  You don’t have to be the fastest turkeys on the course! The team that comes closet to their predicted time will be crowned the Turkey Trot champion.  Each person on the winning team will receive a free Thanksgiving turkey!

REGISTER HERE!

Better set that DVR for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade! Now in it’s 4th year, the Turkey Day 5K attracts almost 3,000 runners and walkers to Downtown Boise on Thanksgiving Morning. The flat and fast 5K helps benefit the Boise Rescue Mission and City Light Home for Women and Children through food donations from participants, friends and family. You may even see some great Thanksgiving costumes on the streets that day!

REGISTER HERE!

Call this editors choice!  Struttin’ for Stuffin’ is hands down my favorite Thanksgiving race.  It offers runners and walkers their choice of a half marathon, 10K or 5K distance.  The best part?  You don’t have to be a speedy turkey to go home with some hardware.  Everyone who finishes on Thanksgiving Day receives an adorable (I’m sorry, their turkey logo is probably the cutest turkey I’ve every seen!) 3-4” die cast medal and FREE race photos from the course! I also have it on good authority that the race directors have a professional chef on their staff now, so I’d count on the finish line party being pretty epic! Look for me and my friends from Team Run Boise at this one!

REGISTER HERE!

Meridian based running shop, The Pulse, is hosting the Candy Cane Stroll in conjunction with the Meridian Winter Lights Parade! The 1.25 mile fun run sends you down the parade route before the floats.  Make sure you wear an ugly sweater, because race participants who go all out will have a chance to score some great prizes on stage at the finish line!

REGISTER HERE!

This is one that flew under my radar last year, but as a former two mile district champion...they've got my attention now! Held in conjunction with Downtown Eagle's Christmas tree lighting, this second year race sends you on a two mile jolly jaunt through Eagle.  There will be cookies and hot cocoa to warm up with afterward!

REGISTER HERE!

This is a run my friends from Team Run Boise were talking about over the weekend! I have to take my fiance to the airport at stupid o'clock in the morning that day...so I figured why not? If my injured hip is feeling better I'm down for this 5K! Wear your ugly sweater and get moving to help benefit the Junior Olympics, Nike NXN and FootLocker Cross Country events!

REGISTER HERE!

Join 107.9 LITE-FM for the 35th Annual YMCA Christmas Run, starting from Boise High! As a runner, I love this one because it's one of the only races in the Treasure Valley that's NOT on the Boise Greenbelt. The six mile course takes you up a pretty brutal hill but gives you one of the most incredible views of the city as you cross Highland View Drive onto 8th Street. There's also a less challenging 2 mile run and 1 mile reindeer dash. Plus, you'll see the best holiday costumes, carolers, Santa and LITE-FM on the course!

REGISTER HERE!

To be honest, if your legs are still up to it after the YMCA Christmas run...it's worth doing at least the 5K at Ho Ho Ho Hustle, too! This is the only race in the Treasure Valley that will send a couple hundred Santas running down the Boise Greenbelt.  How do we know that? Because your Santa suit complete with a hat, coat, belt and beard are included with your registration! The first race starts at 1 p.m., so it is possible to do both the YMCA race and Ho Ho Ho Hustle!

REGISTER HERE!