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🦃 THE INAUGURAL GILROY TURKEY TROT 5K
Start Thanksgiving with a little sweat, a lot of fun, and a whole lot of heart!
Gather your family, grab your friends, throw on your favorite Thanksgiving-themed outfit, and join us for the Inaugural Gilroy Turkey Trot 5K!
Whether you’re chasing a new PR, getting your holiday workout in before the feast, or simply looking for a fun way to kick off Thanksgiving morning, this event is for everyone. Walk it, jog it, run it—or just come ready to have a great time!
❤️ RUN FOR A REASON
We’re proud to support our local community!
Proceeds from the Gilroy Turkey Trot will benefit South County Community Services, helping support individuals and families throughout South County who are facing challenges with food insecurity, housing, and other essential needs.
Come run, walk, and celebrate Thanksgiving while helping make a difference right here in our community.
Run for yourself. Run for your family. Run for your community.
🏃 RACE DAY DETAILS
📍 LOCATION
Christmas Hill Park — Gilroy, CA
Next to the baseball field. Please refer to the map below for the exact race location and starting area.
⏰ RACE START
8:00 AM
We recommend arriving early enough to park, check in, warm up, and get to the starting line before the race begins.
🎽 BIB PACKET PICKUP
Pre-Race Packet Pickup: TBA
We’ll announce the date, time, and location of our pre-race packet pickup as soon as details are finalized.
🎽 RACE DAY PACKET PICKUP
7:00 AM – 7:50 AM
Race-day packet pickup will close 10 minutes before the 8:00 AM start, so please plan accordingly.
🐕 NO DOGS
For the safety and comfort of all participants, dogs are not allowed in the race.
Service animals are permitted in accordance with applicable laws.
🏅 WHAT’S INCLUDED?
🏅 FINISHER MEDAL
Cross the finish line and earn your very own Gilroy Turkey Trot finisher medal!
👕 CUSTOM RACE SHIRT
Every participant receives a commemorative Turkey Trot race shirt to remember the inaugural event.
🦃 HOLIDAY VIBES ALL MORNING
Enjoy holiday-themed music, festive energy, and plenty of Thanksgiving spirit throughout the event.
📸 RACE PHOTOGRAPHY
Our race photographer will be out on the course capturing those epic finish-line moments, family photos, turkey costumes, and everything in between.
🍎 POST-RACE SNACKS
You’ve earned it! Stick around after the finish for post-race snacks and refreshments while you celebrate with your family, friends, and fellow runners.
⏱️ CHIP-TIMED 5K
Want to race the clock? We’ve got you covered. The Gilroy Turkey Trot is a chip-timed 5K, giving every runner an official finish time.
👨👩👧👦 FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
This isn’t just a race—it’s a Thanksgiving morning tradition in the making.
Bring the kids. Bring Grandma. Bring your friends. Bring the whole crew!
Run. Walk. Jog. Cheer. Laugh. Celebrate.
Everyone is welcome!
🥧 GET YOUR MILES IN BEFORE THE FEAST
Start Thanksgiving morning with the Gilroy community, get your miles in, and then head home to enjoy the feast you’ve been waiting for.
Turkey. Family. Friends. Fitness. Community.
What better way to start Thanksgiving?
🦃 LET’S MAKE THE FIRST ONE COUNT!
This is the first-ever Gilroy Turkey Trot, and we’re ready to make it a Thanksgiving tradition that Gilroy can be proud of.
Grab your crew, lace up your shoes, and join us at the starting line!
GOBBLE. GOBBLE. GO! 🦃
We are always looking for volunteers to help with our event. All volunteers will receive one free race entry at any of our Shellback Racing Trail racing events. Click the tab below to sign up as a volunteer. 🙂
Volunteer Sign-Up. Click Here
Have A Question? Click Here
Refund Policy
All trail run entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We do not offer refunds, transfers, deferrals, or exchanges to future events except as outlined below. Only registered participants may compete; entries may not be transferred or given to another runner under any circumstances.
We will issue a race credit equal to 50% of the original entry fee toward a future Shellback Racing event if we receive written notice of cancellation at least three (3) weeks prior to race day. Credits are valid for one (1) year from the date issued. No credit will be issued for cancellations made within three (3) weeks of the event.
We recognize that injuries, illnesses, emergencies, conflicts, or other unforeseen circumstances can occur. However, regardless of the reason, we must strictly adhere to the cancellation policy above and cannot provide refunds, credits, transfers, or deferrals outside of these terms.
If Shellback Racing must cancel an event entirely for any reason, no refunds will be issued. This includes, but is not limited to, earthquakes, floods, extreme weather, unsafe air quality, pandemics, or other force majeure (“Act of God”) events. At its sole discretion, Shellback Racing may offer future race credits or deferrals depending on the circumstances and the timing of the cancellation. All registered participants will be notified as soon as possible with relevant details. Races will not be canceled due to rain or heat.
Course routes are subject to change at any time due to trail work, closures, or requirements from permitting agencies. These changes are beyond our control and will not qualify for refunds, credits, deferrals, or transfers (except as noted above).
If a race location changes but the event is still held on the same date, registrations will automatically transfer to the new venue. Participants may also choose to complete the race remotely, in which case awards will be mailed. If a race is postponed, all registrations will be transferred to the new date.