Your plan in four answers
Set for November 28, 2026, about 5 weeks out.
- Distances
- 14K, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- November 16, 2026
Course
The Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot course
All three races start and finish on the same line behind COSI at Genoa Park, on the paved Scioto Greenway path along the river in downtown Columbus. The 5K, 10K and the signature 1/3 marathon (about 8.7 miles) run together to the first water station, where the 5K breaks away; the 10K and 1/3 marathon carry on to their own turnarounds and come back the same way.
Read the full course notes
It is a flat, paved riverside course with no real climbs, so the main variables are the cold and the turns. The 1/3 marathon passes five water stops, the 10K three and the 5K one. Everyone starts at 8:45 a.m. after the 8:30 a.m. Kids Fun Run, and the course closes at 11:15 a.m. (a 17:10 per mile pace for the 1/3 marathon) so everyone is home for the Ohio State vs Michigan noon kickoff.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 14K, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- The Saturday after Thanksgiving in Columbus is usually cold at the 8:45 a.m. start, around 30–42 °F, often cloudy with a breeze off the river and a chance of drizzle or flurries. Layer up for the start, plan to shed a layer after the first mile, and the cold is a friend to fast times once you are warm.
What to train for
The 1/3 marathon is an unusual distance: longer than a 10K, shorter than a half, so train it like a long tempo.
Build long runs to 10 to 11 miles, and once a week run 4 to 5 miles at the effort you expect to hold for the full 8.7.
A flat out-and-back rewards a negative split, so practice starting a touch slower than goal pace and finishing the second half faster. Since race week is Thanksgiving week, schedule your last hard session the weekend before and keep the final days easy and short.
Sample week
A sample Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot 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 Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot
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 28, 2026, your taper starts around November 16, 2026.
Also in Claude
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot 5k, 10k & 1/3 Marathon (14K) on November 28, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot training questions
How long should I train for the Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot?
Most runners give a 14k 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 Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot course hilly?
Flat. All three races start and finish on the same line behind COSI at Genoa Park, on the paved Scioto Greenway path along the river in downtown Columbus.
What is the weather usually like at the Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot?
The Saturday after Thanksgiving in Columbus is usually cold at the 8:45 a.m. start, around 30–42 °F, often cloudy with a breeze off the river and a chance of drizzle or flurries. Layer up for the start, plan to shed a layer after the first mile, and the cold is a friend to fast times once you are warm.
When should I start tapering for the Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot?
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 28, 2026, your taper starts around November 16, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Columbus Hungry Turkey Trot 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.