Third Annual Florida Turkey Trot Offers Both In-Person And Virtual Choices

SARASOTA-BRADENTON, Fla.: The region’s new Thanksgiving family tradition is a go for this year — with a few changes.

The third annual Florida Turkey Trot, a community run/walk event at Sarasota-Bradenton’s Nathan Benderson Park, will be both a two-day, in-person run and a virtual event. 

Staggered starts for the on-site run/walk will ensure social distancing and runner safety. Runners will select and schedule their start time from time blocks 4-5 p.m. Thanksgiving Eve — that’s Wednesday, Nov. 25 — and 7-10 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. Participants are encouraged to register early and secure their preferred start time, since the number of participants per time block is capped.

Virtual run/walk participants may choose their own time and place, then report their finish time afterward.

All participants will receive a race shirt, runner’s face covering and finisher medal. 

The event is a partnership of Nathan Benderson Park’s operator, Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates (SANCA), and of Fit2Run, The Runner’s Superstore. Proceeds benefit the park, as it strives to bring its programs to the entire community. 

This is the third event in the annual NBP/Fit2Run Holiday Challenge. The challenge kicked off with the St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Leprechaun 5K and included the Fireworks On The Lake 4-Miler on July 3. Both of those events were virtual this year.

“With challenges come opportunities for innovation,” SANCA Chief Operating Officer Stephen V. Rodriguez said. “We are proud to be able to continue this Thanksgiving tradition for our community. The format is different, but the concept is the same — bringing family together to celebrate the holiday, while promoting healthy lifestyles.”

Fit2Run General Manager Parks Robinson also heralded the new tradition of the Trot: “We are excited to innovate and find ways for families to continue the Thanksgiving tradition of running a race with us at Nathan Benderson Park. Our teams have worked hard to safely bring live racing to runners in Sarasota and Bradenton and we look forward to seeing runners on the starting line again this year.”

Registration is open at floridaturkeytrot.com.