The annual Turkey Trot will be taking place on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) in downtown Detroit. The Turkey Trot kicks off America’s Thanksgiving Parade with thousands of people participating in a variety of races.

Multiple students will be taking part in the activities. Sophia Hindamarsh ’23 said she will be participating in the 5 kilometer (5k) run. Hindmarsh’s cousins from Kansas and Brighton, Michigan also compete, turning the event into a family reunion.

“I love (the reunion) and [that] we get to do and put something together, which is really fun,” Hindamarsh said. “It’s fun to see everyone in a moment together.”

Hindmarsh also enjoys the atmosphere of the race and the participants around her.

“You’re participating with so many other people,” Hindamarsh said. “I run into a lot of people around (Grosse Pointe), so it’s fun to share the holiday with them as well.”

Johnny Klepp ’25 and his family are also planning on participating in the 5k run. Klepp is a member of the boys’ cross country team and said he is excited for the race.

“(The Turkey Trot) will be really fun, and I like running,” Klepp said. “Since Detroit does the Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving, I think it’s a good thing to go to, and my family likes it.”

Klepp said he dresses lightly for the run. Even in the cold, he plans on wearing shorts and a long sleeve shirt.

“I am going to wear less clothes, so I don’t get too hot,” Klepp said. “It is a really big pain when you’re running and you’re overheating.”

Molly Wysocki ’22 and her intermediate family will also be participating in the 5k run. Wysocki enjoys the race because of the parade and the sense of unity it brings.

“I think it’s a really fun community event that gets the city of Detroit and the surrounding cities
together,” Wysocki said. “The parade is always fun to watch at the end.”

Wysocki doesn’t prepare by running. Instead, her family prepares by dressing in costumes. Her parents are planning to dress as chefs, and her sister will wear an inflatable turkey costume.

“Since so many people dress up, it is so much fun to wear the costumes,” Wysocki said. “We always get compliments, and while it is much more difficult to run in the inflatable turkey costume, we just run for fun, so it is not a big deal.”

Wysocki said the costumes have positively impacted how her family runs. Rather than focusing on winning the race, they get to fully enjoy the experience as a family.

“Running in the costumes has made our family’s experience much more relaxed, but that’s okay,” Wysocki said. “Some people run the Turkey Trot as a legitimate race, and that’s totally fine, but we take it more as an opportunity to connect with other people and go downtown. It has become an annual tradition in our family, and I hope we can continue to do it.”