Turkey Trot 2026: Thanksgiving Race Start Times in Buffalo, Dallas, Atlanta and 7 More

The Buffalo Turkey Trot starts at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, according to the race page of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Buffalo Niagara, and the Manchester Road Race in Connecticut starts at 10:00 a.m. ET, according to its Race Roster page. The tables below cover 10 Thanksgiving Day races, read on their official pages on Nov. 1, 2026: start times in local time and in ET, fees, the next price change and packet pickup. A one-page printable checklist collects the deadlines and pickup dates.

When does the Buffalo Turkey Trot start in 2026?

The 131st Annual YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot is on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, with a 9:00 a.m. start that the page marks as sharp, according to the race’s RunSignup page. It is an 8K, which the page gives as 4.97 miles, and the field is capped at 14,000. The start is on Franklin Street downtown. The two official pages we read give different blocks of Franklin Street (one between West Huron and West Chippewa streets, the other between West Chippewa and Tupper streets), so use the exact block on the race page. Race-morning bib pickup is at the Buffalo Convention Center from 7 to 8:15 a.m.

What time is each turkey trot, in local time and Eastern Time?

The race pages list local times. They use Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST) and Pacific Standard Time (PST), which sit zero, one, two and three hours behind ET on Nov. 26. The ET column is that conversion. Distances written as 10K mean 10 kilometers. The table runs from the earliest main-race start in ET to the latest.

Race	Start times (local)	Same moment in ET	Distance	Start location
Detroit, S3 Turkey Trot	10K and Mashed Potato Mile 7:30 a.m. EST; 5K 8:30 a.m. EST	10K and Mile 7:30 a.m.; 5K 8:30 a.m.	10K, 5K, 1 mile	Huntington Place is race central
Atlanta, Atlanta Track Club Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, 5K, Mile & Dash	Half 7:45 or 8 a.m. (the page lists both); 5K 8:30; Mile 8:40; Dash 9:00 and 9:15 a.m.	Same, in ET	Half marathon, 5K, mile, dash	Outside Center Parc Stadium, 755 Hank Aaron Dr.
Houston Methodist Turkey Trot	10K 7:30 a.m. CST; 5K 8:00; Kids 9:00	10K 8:30 a.m.; 5K 9:00; Kids 10:00	10K, 5K, kids race	Near the Galleria
Buffalo, YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot	9:00 a.m.	9:00 a.m.	8K (4.97 miles)	Franklin Street downtown
Cincinnati, Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race	10K and 5K 9:00 a.m.; kids run 8:30	Same, in ET	10K, 5K, kids run	See race page
Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot	Timed 8 Mile and 5K 8:30 a.m. CST; second start 9:00 CST	9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.	8 Mile, 5K	Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla Street
Manchester Road Race, Manchester, Conn.	10:00 a.m.	10:00 a.m.	4.737 miles	See race page
San Diego-North County Turkey Trot	10K 7:15 a.m. PST; 5K 7:30; Kids 1K 8:45	10K 10:15 a.m.; 5K 10:30; Kids 11:45	10K, 5K, kids 1K	4S Ranch Sports Park, 16118 4S Ranch Pkwy
Denver, Mile High United Way Turkey Trot	Wave 1 9:00 a.m. MST; waves 9:30 and 10:00; Lil Gobbler 10:15	Wave 1 11:00 a.m.; 11:30 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.; Lil Gobbler 12:15 p.m.	Waves; Lil Gobbler is 1 mile	South High School, 1700 E. Louisiana Ave.
San Jose, Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot	5K Run/Walk 8:30 a.m. PST; Kids Fun Run 10:15	5K 11:30 a.m.; Kids Fun Run 1:15 p.m.	5K run/walk, kids fun run	W. Santa Clara St. at N. First St.

“See race page” means we did not record that detail from the page we read. Atlanta, Detroit, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Manchester are in the Eastern zone, so their local times already are ET.

When does the Dallas Turkey Trot start in 2026?

The Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, according to Race Roster. The timed 8 Mile or 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. CST, which is 9:30 a.m. ET, and a second start is at 9:00 a.m. CST (10:00 a.m. ET). The start is at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla Street, and the race benefits the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.

Which turkey trots raise prices before Thanksgiving?

Fees below are the ones shown on each race page on Nov. 1, 2026. Where a page says the price includes a service fee, the table says so.

Race	Fee on the page	Next price change
Detroit	10K and 5K $55; Mile $35	Not listed
Atlanta	Half marathon $140; 5K $50	Half: $150 at pickup after Mon., Nov. 16. 5K: $55 at pickup after Fri., Nov. 20
Houston	5K $44.99; 10K $49.99	After Fri., Nov. 20 at 11:59 p.m. CST (12:59 a.m. ET on Sat., Nov. 21)
Buffalo	$56 (Final Stretch, Nov. 1-18)	$65 from Thu., Nov. 19 to sell-out (Last Chance)
Cincinnati	Fees not confirmed	See race page
Dallas	$48 plus $4.52 tax and fees	The page shows a price-change countdown with no date
Manchester	See race page	See race page
San Diego-North County	5K $59.30; 10K $69.90	After Mon., Nov. 23 at 11:59 p.m. PST (2:59 a.m. ET on Tue., Nov. 24)
Denver	$55.24 including $5.24 fees	Base price rises $5 on Nov. 1, Nov. 20 and Nov. 26
San Jose	$60.50 including a $5.50 fee	After Fri., Nov. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PST (2:59 a.m. ET on Sat., Nov. 21)

Six races list a dated price change before Thanksgiving: Atlanta, Buffalo, Denver, Houston, San Diego-North County and San Jose. Buffalo’s fee rises $9 on Nov. 19, Atlanta’s half marathon is $10 higher at pickup and its 5K $5 higher, and Denver’s page lists three $5 steps. The Atlanta Track Club page lists those two Atlanta prices as the price “through” a date and the price “at pickup”.

Where is turkey trot packet pickup in 2026?

Race	Pickup dates and hours	Location
Atlanta	Sat., Nov. 21 and Sun., Nov. 22, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wed., Nov. 25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Atlantic Station
Buffalo	Mon., Nov. 23 and Tue., Nov. 24, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Wed., Nov. 25, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; race morning 7 to 8:15 a.m.	Independent Health Family YMCA, 150 Tech Drive, Amherst; race morning at Buffalo Convention Center
Cincinnati	Nov. 24-26 (hours not recorded)	The stadium named in the FC Cincinnati release
Denver	Sun., Nov. 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tue., Nov. 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wed., Nov. 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; race morning from 7:30 a.m.	Fleet Feet Cherry Creek
San Jose	Race day only; closes at 9 a.m.	Bib and shirt pickup
Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Manchester, San Diego	Not listed on the pages we read	See race page

Most pickup days fall on Nov. 21-25, in the days before Thanksgiving; see Thanksgiving travel 2026: best days to fly and drive for the flight and drive days if you are traveling to a race.

Who runs these races, and which edition is it?

• Buffalo: the 131st edition, benefiting YMCA Buffalo Niagara.
• Manchester: the 90th edition, according to Patch (Apr. 6, 2026).
• Cincinnati: the 117th year, according to Western & Southern, benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati among others.
• Denver: the 53rd year, benefiting Mile High United Way.
• Detroit: the race page says it has run for “over 40 years”.
• San Diego-North County: the 3rd annual, benefiting Active Kids Alliance.
• Dallas: benefiting the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.
• Atlanta: benefiting the Atlanta Track Club Foundation’s Kilometer Kids.
• San Jose: organized by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation.

We could not confirm 2026 details for the Seattle and Chicago races from their official pages, so they are not in the tables.

What goes on a turkey trot race-week checklist?

The printable has tick boxes for the price deadlines and pickup dates above, plus race-morning items: your start time in local time, your bib, safety pins and layers. The safety pins and layers are generic reminders, not rules from any race. Mark the dates on the November 2026 printable calendar or the printable weekly calendar, and see when is Thanksgiving for the date. For the rest of the week, our Thanksgiving 2026 planner has a dated countdown, and the Thanksgiving football schedule lists the games on the same day.

Fees, start times and pickup hours can change, so check the race page before you go.