Your plan in four answers
Set for November 26, 2026, about 4 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 15K, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- Nearly 2,500 runners and spectators on race morning
- Taper starts
- November 14, 2026
Course
The Five Star Thanksgiving Turkey Trot course
All four distances start together at 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning from the check-in area at 3890 Johns Creek Parkway and share one 3.1-mile loop. The 5K is one lap, the 10K two, the 15K three, and the half marathon four laps plus a short extra section.
Read the full course notes
The organizers call it fairly flat, with the gentle rises you expect anywhere in North Georgia, so think rolling rather than pancake flat. Because it is a loop, family and friends can cheer from one spot and see you on every lap. Self-serve water stations come roughly every 1.5 miles, the race is electronically timed, and everyone needs to hold at least a 16-minute-mile pace.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 15K, 10K, 5K
- Field
- Nearly 2,500 runners and spectators on race morning
- Weather on race day
- Late November mornings in the north Atlanta suburbs are usually crisp, around 38–50 °F at the 8:00 a.m. start, with afternoon highs in the low to mid 60s. Humidity is low and a passing shower is possible, so start in a layer you can shed after the first lap and still drink at the self-serve stations even when it feels cool.
What to train for
The lap format rewards even pacing: practice running a short loop repeatedly in training and aim to keep every lap within 10 to 15 seconds per mile of the first.
For the half, build to a 10 to 12 mile long run and finish the last 2 to 3 miles at goal pace, because lap four is where the effort climbs.
Add 6 to 8 x 60 seconds up a gentle hill at 10K effort once a week so the North Georgia rollers feel routine. The water tables are self-serve, so rehearse grabbing a cup on the move or carry a handheld bottle if you plan to run straight through.
Sample week
A sample Five Star Thanksgiving 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 Five Star Thanksgiving 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on November 26, 2026, your taper starts around November 14, 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 Five Star Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K, 10K, 15K, & Half Marathon on November 26, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Five Star Thanksgiving Turkey Trot training questions
How long should I train for the Five Star Thanksgiving Turkey Trot?
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 Five Star Thanksgiving Turkey Trot course hilly?
Rolling. All four distances start together at 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning from the check-in area at 3890 Johns Creek Parkway and share one 3.1-mile loop.
What is the weather usually like at the Five Star Thanksgiving Turkey Trot?
Late November mornings in the north Atlanta suburbs are usually crisp, around 38–50 °F at the 8:00 a.m. start, with afternoon highs in the low to mid 60s. Humidity is low and a passing shower is possible, so start in a layer you can shed after the first lap and still drink at the self-serve stations even when it feels cool.
When should I start tapering for the Five Star Thanksgiving 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on November 26, 2026, your taper starts around November 14, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Five Star Thanksgiving 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.