Walnut Creek Turkey Trot

Truly a terribly organized event. We entered our children in the fun run and there was barely any communication beforehand where to be and when.
The starting point was a zoo with no clear demarcation of racers vs spectators, and no-​one seemed to know which of the children’s races we were crowding up for. There were far too many adults pushing their way through and my children were terrified of being trampled. I was elbowed several times by pushy parents trying to get their older children to the front of the 100 yard dash.
The finish line was equally chaotic with several lost and crying children.
Forma, please get your act together:
Good communication as to where to be and what time the races start — and stick to it!
Clear area for racers separate from spectators — only runners for the current race allowed in.
Better announcements at the start of each race to say what the race is and who should be lining up.
No superfluous adults in the starting or race area unless one only accompanying children under five years old.
No adults for over fives or for the quarter mile or half mile races.
Clear finish area with access only to the accompanying adults and no more.

This was our third time walking in the Walnut Creek Turkey Trot. The first time we chose to walk the 10k. I guess they don’t plan for many people walking the 10k, because by the time we walked to the finish line, they were already pulling up cones, and they had actually begun the children’s race which came the opposite direction through the finish line towards us! Such a disappointment not to be able to cross a finish line after walking 6.2 miles. We were walking at a reasonable pace, too.
Last year (our second time) was better. We decided to walk the 5k this time to avoid a situation like the year before with the 10k. We walked at our regular pace and finished with lots of other people and no problem. Things were disorganized like the year before, but we were just happy that they hadn’t pulled up the cones before we reached the finish line.
This year for our third Turkey Trot, it was a disaster. We walked the 5k with my father who needs regular access to restrooms. We all drank large cups of coffee before the race, but assumed there would be port-​o-​potties along the course. Nope! Not one. After Mile One, we were all looking around for a restroom or a port-​o-​potty to stop at. No such luck. We were shocked to discover that the race only provides port-​o-​potties at the start/​finish area! People were actually having to sneak off the course to relieve themselves in bushes nearby!
We decided that we would leave the course and stop at Whole Foods at about the 1.5 mile mark and use their restroom. Well, we were not the only race participants with that idea. When we got to the Whole Foods restrooms, there were TWENTY other Turkey Trot participants in line! We had to wait about 15 minutes to use a restroom during a race. How disappointing. Everyone in line was saying the same thing: «How could a race like this not provide port-​o-​potties along the course?» Why should Whole Foods have to provide this service for the race? I really was surprised that Whole Foods didn’t say anything to us and kindly allowed us, as non-​customers to use their facilities.
So after we had waited all that time to use the restroom, we got back on the course. At that point there was not a single other walker on the course! There were still some volunteers and cones, but five minutes after we re-​joined the race, a U-​Haul began slowly tailing us about 10 feet behind us, picking up cones! One of the volunteers tried to tell the U-​Haul to wait because there were other participants behind us, but they continued to pull up cones and tail us. How uncomfortable to be walking in a race with a truck on your heels! Finally we just got on the sidewalk and said forget it. This race is beyond disorganized.
When we got near the finish line, it was confusing which direction we should go. There were no clear markings as to which way people doing the 10k or the 5k go. We asked the volunteers nearby if we were heading the right direction. They said yes, but we soon found out they had directed us toward the 10k! What a disaster. We ended up walking half a mile in the wrong direction. Why couldn’t they just have a sign that pointed to the 5k course and the 10k course to eliminate confusion and the need to ask volunteers? Ugh.
This race is supposed to be a fun holiday tradition for my family. We aren’t looking for a fast run, just a fun-​walk on Thanksgiving. We pay for our participation and hope that that money covers the cost of organizing. This race needs to seriously re-​think it’s planning. Maybe don’t bother with things like having MC Hammer cheer us on at the start line, and just provide the basics like good signage and port-​o-​potties. It would make for a much more enjoyable start to the Thanksgiving holiday, and might encourage people to keep participating.

What a terribly organized event. It’s a great idea but they seriously need to hire an event organizer or something. We had to ask no less than 10 different people where the Kids Run was… And these were people who were running the event!
Parents were in the corral with the kids. Fine for the younger ones in the 100 yard dash but for the ¼ and ½ mile they should be off to the side. Let the kids run! I saw so many that fell — such chaos.

I’d like to give this race 3 stars, but sadly, coordination just wasn’t there, and that’s my one and only gripe. Corrals were set up for pace times, but there were really not many people who followed the corrals AT ALL, and there were no delays between starting the different corrals – it was all a free-​for-​all. I lined up with the 10:30 corral, and it took nearly 10 minutes before I crossed the start (really big bottleneck). While I finished at a 10:45 pace, I was stuck behind hundreds of walkers, families, strollers, and dogs for pretty much the entire first half (I did the 10k, so I was stuck behind slow pokes for the whole 5k distance). I was actually SHOCKED at how many people were walking! It was definitely annoying to have to constantly be checking out the people around you to maneuver around the people in front of you who are walking five-​people across in the middle of the lane. I get that most of these people don’t do races, but with so many people there who DO want to run it seriously, we had to do a LOT of moving around.
Packet pickup, though, was smooth, and I was able to find a parking spot with little difficulty. They had a booth giving out free coffee (it was SUCH a cold morning!), but they didn’t have any decaf (boo hoo). The course was nice and not too difficult. There were several photographers and I liked seeing my photos. Hopefully next year Forma will organize the starting line better!

My 7^th 5K and also my best time so far! This was also my first turkey trot and I know that this will now be an annual occurrence.
My honey picked up our packets two days before. There was a nice block of time when you could pick up your shirt/​bib, and also day-​of pickup available. I love this year’s «Eat. Run. Be Thankful.» shirt and I’m glad that we both upgraded to the nicer quality option.
We arrived about 40 minutes early (race started at 8 am) and parked in the Locust Street lot near Pyramid and walked the few blocks over to Civic Park. Easy for getting there and for leaving.
I feel that what may have been a well organized event in the past, hasn’t been able to scale up to 7,000 people. They had pace signs, and alerted folks to this in the nice event information e-​mails, but we were standing in between the 9:30 and 10:30 minute/​mile and there were lots of walkers in front of us. (Honestly, I don’t think the woman who I passed about a mile in, walking leisurely with her Starbucks, was doing a 10-​minute mile.)
Someone else mentioned runner/​walker etiquette in their review and I agree, there wasn’t much of that happening. This is not necessarily the event staff’s fault, although some strategically placed volunteers may have been able to help keep things moving, especially at the start and finish lines.
In a follow-​up e-​mail, they said that there will be new courses for 2015, which will hopefully mitigate this year’s issues. I am already looking forward to running it again!

Team Hot Trotties!!! I can’t say that I’m happy about adding 3 minutes to this year’s time since last year’s race, but I can say that no matter how long it takes to get from start to finish, I felt really good about doing this run on Thanksgiving morning.
2013 was my first year doing the Turkey Trot. My husband and I hadn’t picked up our packets in advance so we had to show up and find parking and get in line before the early morning race. I planned 2014 a little bit better! My husband didn’t run with me this year, but he did pick up my packet at FormaGym the day before the race. Forma Gym had bibs available for pick-​up all day the two days before the race until 7pm, which was really convenient. I received a t-​shirt with my registration (and I upgraded to the nicer quality shirt for about $ 10 — good deal!) However, I made matching shirts last year, which I sported again this year instead of the provided shirt.
A few friends picked me up half an hour before the race this morning. We had a guaranteed parking spot — I would recommend getting downtown really early if you aren’t so lucky. Parking can be difficult. Thousands of people took off running and walking to the sounds of MC Hammer at the start of the race. Hammer himself did the countdown — pretty legit! (But not TOO legit). :D
A lot of people run, but many more jog, and tons of people walk the 5k. Dogs and strollers are allowed and this is definitely a family-​friendly event. About ²⁄₃ of the way into the race there was an aid station with water and Gatorade — I was really surprised this was so close to the end of the run. At the half way mark I would have really appreciated it more, but regardless, it was really appreciated. The course is well-​marked and there were lots of volunteers and policeman keeping people on track. Thank you to all the people who volunteered and made this event possible!
37 minutes after 8 a.m. I crossed the finish line with my friends only a couple minutes ahead of me. We ended at Civic Park and there was water being passed out, as well as a few EZ-​up tents promoting local businesses. I grabbed a couple of citrus Cuties and took a red-​faced picture with Miss Contra Costa County — then I went home and didn’t feel even slightly guilty about over-​eating at Thanksgiving dinner. More gravy!

This is a great little morning exercise to enjoy with family and friends. Not at all a competitive run and and by all means does not take away from the enjoyment of a run. It was very crowded and maybe a staggered run would have made it more enjoyable for some but overall was a great fun run. I would most likely do this run again if the opportunity presents itself.

This Thanksgiving morning event is way too crowded and not well organized. It is more well-​suited to those who are just interested in «stumblin’ and bumblin’ along» as a way to justify their gluttonous behavior later in the day !!!
If you’re looking for a more serious running event then don’t set your expectations too high. .. this Turkey Trot is more of a community recreational event than a serious run. There is no staggered start, but rather it is a free-​for-​all with runners, walkers, kids, dogs, strollers, large groups, etc. etc. There is really no sense of runners etiquette amongst many participants, mainly because many have not participated in a competitive event, but rather are just out there as a way to kickoff their Thanksgiving gluttony with something that allows them to get out and burn some calories in advance. (Ok, I acknowledge that this statement is quite judgmental. .. Not intended to offend anyone.)
With over 4,000 runners for both the 5k and 10k runs all starting simultaneously, you need to expect numerous slow downs, and even areas where you won’t be able to keep your pace unless you veer off course, off the pavement, and into the roadside ruts in the dirt along Broadway. Take care not to turn an ankle or take a nose dive.
Ok, I drone on in a rather negative fashion. Actually, I DO get it. .. This is really a community recreational event and that’s what I should have expected. My Bad!

19^th annual race in 2010. 4,600 runners/​walkers for the 5k/​10k/​and Kids Run this year.
PROS:
–You can pick up your bib/​shirt packet on the day of the race
–Chip timing. Race results posted online later that day
–Well marked — plenty of route guides
–You can tell that they tried to make the course interesting and I appreciate that.
–Photos taken by Brightroom
CONS:
–The port o pottie lines were each about 20 people deep before the race. Get some more next year!
–Finding parking downtown was somewhat of a hassle. A lot of streets are closed off for the race as well so that makes it even more difficult.
Overall, the race was pretty damn great. Great way to start out Thanksgiving day. It was raining, but there was a lot of positive energy from the runners that made it out and I think we all ending up having a good time.