Turkey Trot 2026 | Annual tradition now in its 25th year

A Thanksgiving Tradition: See you at the start line!

We are thrilled to share that this event always sells out! On behalf of myself and the entire board*, we cannot wait to welcome 2,800 friends and neighbors to town this Thanksgiving morning.

We intentionally keep our registration prices low — currently just $30 for kids 12 and under, which includes a long-sleeve race shirt (and only $25 during our early bird window). We love exposing kids to the joy of running. The community vibe, the race-day excitement, the prizes, the music, and the festive party atmosphere make it an unforgettable experience for them.

Register here to secure your spot

2026-piedmont-turkey-trot

Spaces are filling up fast, and you won’t want to miss the music, the energy, and the community spirit of our little trot.

Race Week Events: Fun for the littlest trotters

The Tiny Tot Trot is back for its third year! This completely free event is designed to introduce the littlest runners (ages 3–6) to the pure joy of a “trot.”

When: Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 4 p.m.
Where: Witter Field

*A dad in a turkey costume encourages runners to finish strong at the 2024 inaugural Tiny Tot Trot.*

Thank you to the community

An event of this scale takes incredible teamwork, and we are profoundly lucky to have the support of the City of Piedmont, our local first responders, and our patient neighbors. Their incredible cooperation allows us to safely close down the streets for a couple of hours on a holiday morning, creating a secure, festive, and family-friendly environment for everyone.

Our sponsors

This magic is only possible because of our incredible neighborhood sponsors who bring the “community spirit” of our little trot to life. Since the very beginning, Piedmont Grocery has ensured our winners leave with a delicious pie and everyone else gets a fresh banana. JMiller Flowers has provided beautiful bouquets for our 1st–3rd place age category winners for years — and when we needed a massive order of 2,500 flowers a few years ago, the Oakland Flower Market stepped in as a new sponsor in a matter of hours! The Village Market generously sends turkeys home with our first-place overall winners, while Transports ensures they have the coolest kicks on their feet. From Yellow Door Cafe gifting cards for healthy eats, to our local dentist and orthodontist keeping the post-race water station fully stocked, our neighbors always show up for us.

Giving Back: A 25-year legacy of community impact

What started 25 years ago as a simple initiative to support the high school Cross Country team has blossomed into a vital community pillar.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Doyle O’Reagan, the PHS Cross Country Coach who truly got this race running (pun absolutely intended!). Over the years, we expanded our reach to include the Track and Field teams. Between 2016 and 2018, our race community funded a significant donation for the City of Piedmont’s Hampton Field remodel, transforming the space for youth baseball, tennis, and field sports. Since 2021, we have directed major annual donations to the PHS Athletic Boostersand the Piedmont Education Foundation.

Today, our reach extends to every level of youth running in our community:

High School Athletics: We directly support both the Track and Field team (now boasting nearly 120 athletes under the leadership of Coach Pouyan) and the Cross Country team (nearly 50 athletes strong). We help fund the teams and step in throughout the year to purchase equipment or sponsor athletes who qualify for elite, off-schedule postseason meets.
Middle & Elementary Programs: Our annual donations support the PMS middle school teams and fund the Piedmont Junior Running Program for 4th and 5th graders across all three elementary schools.
Regional Outreach: We consistently extend our support beyond our borders to fund Run Better Oakland, helping kids across the East Bay discover the power of running.

It takes a village: Next-gen volunteers

Our community spirit is passed down through generations. Take Reece and Sophia — both began volunteering for the race when they were high school athletes (Reece in 2014, Sophia in 2016). After finishing college, both moved back to the Bay Area and made their involvement official. (Of course, both had always managed to get “volunteered” by their respective mothers anyway, so it was a natural fit!)

Five years ago, we also partnered with the Piedmont Service Crew, a fantastic student-led organization dedicated to socially conscious volunteer work. Every year, they bring a team of ten students to brew and serve gallons of hot chocolate and coffee with a smile, and we make a matching donation to support their organization. Keep an eye out for them this year — they are planning to sell pies on race day!

Opportunities to give back

In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, we want to make it incredibly easy for families, runners, and neighbors to give back to the causes that keep our community strong.When you come to grab your race packet, you can connect directly with the local organizations making a difference. Come meet them at our Bib Pickup on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at Veterans Hall from 3-6 p.m., including:

Dress Best for Less — Accepting “gently used clothing donations”
The Children’s Book Drive — Accepting Donations of Children’s and Young Adult Books in good condition.
Family Giving Tree will be collecting gifts for kids for the first time ever. Their much-requested gift list is HERE
Also, a food drive for an International public high school about 5 minutes away from us. Oakland International High School runs a weekly food pantry program in partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB). The ACCFB provides over 5000 pounds of fresh food for distribution at the school on a weekly basis, reaching over 2,000 students, family members and school neighbors per month. While, ACCFB does a fantastic job of sourcing fresh nutritious foods for all residents of Alameda County, the schools’ diverse student base and neighbouring population benefits from additional items that ACCFB is unable to provide at such a scale. Please consider supporting this local school and surrounding community by donating some food items. Below is a list of food items that are difficult to obtain directly from the food bank, but are often in high demand by the community:
Basmati rice
Long-grain rice
Bread flour
Cooking oil
Sesame oil
Honduran red beans
Black beans
Rice noodles
Yeast
Salt
Black pepper
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Maseca (masa harina/corn flour for tortillas)
Consomé powder
Dried Mexican chiles (pasilla, california, guajillo, etc.)
Paprika
Onion powder
Achiote
Sesame seeds
Cumin

*Who we are

Our current Board consists of myself, Sydney Proctor, and:

Lesley Zalewski — Treasurer
Debra Dryen — Logistics
Kevin Lee, school liaison — Day-of logistics
Jessica Freeman — Tiny Tot Trot Chair
Sophia Zalewski — TTT Assistant
Reece Proctor — Exedra, day-of logistics
Chris Smith (retired but still involved)
Will Holt, current PHS parent — Inaugural trot
Molly Riiff, current PHS parent — Inaugural trot

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