Your plan in four answers
Set for November 26, 2026, about 4 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- November 14, 2026
Course
The Big Turkey Half Marathon course
This Thanksgiving Day race starts by Oak Ridge Park in Clark, Union County, and runs on the park's paved paths past manicured lawns lined with birch, oak and pine trees. The organiser calls the course mostly flat, and it is a loop format where every lap is timed in real time, so friends and family can track you lap by lap.
Read the full course notes
Starts are staggered: the half marathon goes at 9:30 a.m., the 10K at 9:35 and the 5K at 9:40. Support stations hand out water and Gatorade in paper cups plus energy gels on course. 2026 is the third edition.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Thanksgiving morning in Union County is usually cool to cold at a 9:30 a.m. start, around 36–48 °F, often with a light breeze and a chance of rain. That is good weather for a fast time: wear gloves and a throwaway layer at the start, and the race goes ahead whatever the conditions.
What to train for
A mostly flat, paved loop is a great place to run a personal best, so train for steady pace rather than hills.
Make a weekly tempo of 3 to 5 miles at half-marathon pace the key session, and build long runs to 11 to 12 miles with the final 3 at goal pace.
On a lapped course it is easy to surge when you pass people, so practice holding even splits with your watch on a local loop. Race day is a holiday, so plan your pre-race breakfast and travel time in advance and save the feast for after the finish.
Sample week
A sample Big Turkey Half Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Big Turkey Half Marathon
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on November 26, 2026, your taper starts around November 14, 2026.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the The Big Turkey Half Marathon, 10K, 5K races on November 26, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Big Turkey Half Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Big Turkey Half Marathon?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Big Turkey Half Marathon course hilly?
Flat. This Thanksgiving Day race starts by Oak Ridge Park in Clark, Union County, and runs on the park's paved paths past manicured lawns lined with birch, oak and pine trees.
What is the weather usually like at the Big Turkey Half Marathon?
Thanksgiving morning in Union County is usually cool to cold at a 9:30 a.m. start, around 36–48 °F, often with a light breeze and a chance of rain. That is good weather for a fast time: wear gloves and a throwaway layer at the start, and the race goes ahead whatever the conditions.
When should I start tapering for the Big Turkey Half Marathon?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on November 26, 2026, your taper starts around November 14, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Big Turkey Half Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.