Prospect Park Turkey Trot 5 Mile Race Recap
A recap of the prospect park turkey trot race in Prospect park Brooklyn. Read my review of this fun Thanksgiving race!
My first time running a turkey trot! After so many races this fall I still can’t believe that I beginning to love running so much. I spent so many years believing that it wasn’t for me or my knees can’t handle it and now I just plain love it.
To be honest: this turkey trot wasn’t even going to happen. After the Philadelphia Half Marathon just 3 days prior, my body didn’t even want to think about running much less run 5 miles. I didn’t decide until The morning before (when my body actually started feeling remotely normal) that I would run the race. But this final race of the season was the most dramatic and eventful of them all.
The day before thanksgiving I decided to be a good little runner and pick up my race packet early. What I didn’t plan for was the snow, sleet, rainy wintery mix that would take over the NorthEast! Despite the gross weather I got the bibs (for myself and my friend) rather quickly, bought some last minute ingredients and even treated myself to some books from Barnes and Noble.
After a very long commute home, I cooked and began to get ready for the race the next day. As I went to grab the bibs, I realized that the bag that they were in was gone. I knew in the pit of my stomach that they had been left on a bus–I knew something was missing but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. I called my girlfriend and begged for her forgiveness. She said we would leave earlier and hopefully they would have replacement bibs.
As a result of my worry over the bibs, I forgot so many things at home before I left including:
- My gloves
- Extra pair of pants
- Extra jacket
- Hand warmers
- The correct scarf
- A proper breakfast
- Flipbelt
- Phone charger
- And most importantly…MY GARMIN FORERUNNER
When we arrived at Prospect Park we randomly ran into Santa spreading goodwill. This had to be a good sign right?
We proceeded to the bib pick up area where I explained my stupidity absentmindedness and they were so accommodating to give us a new bib (and new hats!) right on the spot. Thank you NYCRUNS!!
We met up with the rest of BLACK GIRLS RUN! NYC and took pics and chatted and it wasn’t until all the bib stress was over did I realize that I was missing all of the things I mentioned above. Ugh.
It certainly was not my best race. Turns out my legs were still tired from the half and my hands were sooooo cold that I couldn’t think or concentrate on anything else. I was warm everywhere else thanks to my Under Armour coldgear but goodness by the time I finished the race my hands turned into permanent bear claws. It was so painful!
One thing about Prospect Park is that the hills are REAL! We made it through though and frankly I was happy we did. In addition to our adorkable turkey trot hats we got a pretty cool medal! I think it might be time for me to order a medal rack, this was my 7th medal of the year! 🙂
I know I say I don’t repeat races but I will DEFINITELY be doing the prospect park turkey trot again, properly prepared, with a turkey tutu. 🙂
For more fun race recaps be sure to check out:
- 2022 TCS Marathon Recap: Back On The Pavement
- How Not To Run A Half Marathon Pregnant (AKA My NYC Half Recap)
- TCS NYC Marathon 2016 Recap: Second Time Around
- Glass Slipper Challenge 2016: The Princess Half Marathon
How was your thanksgiving? Have you ever run a turkey trot? Ever lose something super important and not realize it until hours later??
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I signed up for a Turkey Trot last year but never got to do it because I hurt my foot. 🙁 I still cheered my whole family though! I think it is a fun race and a great way to burn some Thanksgiving calories!
I still can’t believe how much you do love running now and admit you give me a bit of hope as I think you know I have never been a fan myself. But still so very proud of you my friend 😉
You did great despite that small issue! Welcome to the joys of running! I hope to do a series of races that the Buffalo News sponsors each year. The final race of the series is our own Turkey Trot. That is an 8K with all sorts of goofiness to go with it.
I LOVE the hat!! That alone is reason enough to run that race. And yes, it’s definitely time for a medal rack…there’s so many to chose from!
I know those hills were something awful but you made it through. Love the name of this one to. I think as long as you have some good music you can do any race or run. I walked the other day to music and I thought I was about to be rocky or something I was way to caught up lol.
I don’t do turkey trots often – too much danger of it being cold:)
Love that you are going to repeat a race!!!
Awesome Nellie! I love how you just embraced running and now find it so enjoyable! Also, go NYCRUNS by giving you new bibs and hats right there on the spot!
First off, I’m super impressed that you ran a 5 miler so soon after your half…but please give yourself permission to take a longer rest next time! That said, you look so adorable in your pictures even if you were freezing at the time! I always find that keeping all of my stuff in the same place all the time helps keep my workout gear organized. That means that my armband, headband, earphones and everything else are always in my gym bag together. If I grab one, I grab them all.
Wow, the hats are pretty cute actually!
I’m so impressed you did this, despite having done a half and it being cold and forgetting so many things.
Oh, gosh! I would have forgotten everything too. It was so nice of them to be accommodating like that. You for sure need a medal rack!
BTW I love your coat. And, of course, your shoes. 😉
Me and Colton ran our first turkey trot this year too. It was super hilly (and cold) so our time wasn’t that good but we wound up having a lot of fin.
Thanksgiving was great but not like yours! I took the day off from exercise! I don’t think we have any local race but there was a big one in Atlanta! I see you’ve been killing the races! I still feel that it’s not for me, but I admire you all so much for getting out here and accomplishing your goals with so many races! Get it Rockstar!
YAY and congrats!
We usually run a local turkey trot that is a fundraiser for local police officer who was hit by a drunk driver and killed while he was riding his bike into work. It is a terrible story…he left behind a wife and three young kids. The race is actually a cross country race and always a adventure. One year I got attacked by a pricker bush and stuck in the mud.
This year we traveled to DC so we ran a race there. 11,000 people. Normally that big of a race is overwhelming to me (I know, I am doing that Disney one) but it wasn’t too bad. The whole family ran. My oldest son walked it. He hates running that much. We should have brought a soccer ball since that is the only way he doesn’t mind it. LOL