SGFMC Turkey Trot

SGFMC TURKEY TROT 2026

Welcome to the 44th (XLIV) ST. GILES FAMILY MASS COMMUNITY TURKEY TROT (SGFMC).

Date – Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026.
Race Start Time: 9:30AM 
Start Location: In front of the St. Giles Gym, 1020 Linden, Oak Park, Illinois 

PACKET PICK-UP

Pre- ordered t-shirts and race bibs for registered runners/walkers will be available for pick up on Wednesday, November 25th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm and on race day from 8:00am - 9:00am at the St. Giles Gym, 1020 Linden, Oak Park, Illinois. 

Race Day - Access to the indoor spaces will be for bathroom use and volunteers only. We will have a designated area outdoors for a drop bag to keep your extra layers while you run.

Parking - Volunteers and runners.  Please DO NOT park on the 1000 block of Linden OR in the alley behind the gym on race day.

THE COURSE

The course is approximately 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles. It is not certified. (unless the odometer of a classic 67 Chevy is acceptable.)

The START is at the front of St. Giles Gym on Linden Street just south of Greenfield in Oak Park, Illinois. We line up in the alley, and step off at 9:30 AM Community time. (so sometimes we’re a little late). The route is north to Greenfield, west to Marion, north to Le Moyne, east to Rossell, south to Greenfield, west to Elmwood, south to Berkshire, east to Ridgeland, then south, on the sidewalk, to Division, then west, still on the sidewalk, to Euclid, north to Berkshire, then east to Linden, and finally a quick kick, limp or stroll, north, on the sidewalk, to the FINISH line at St. Giles Gym, very close to the start.

NOTE
***Refund policy***I understand that race registration fees are not refundable under any circumstance, race registrations are not transferable to other participants or to a future years event. Please consider these factors carefully before completing your registration.

RULES FOR RUNNERS/WALKERS

1. Don’t take shortcuts. Course will be marked.
2. Be careful at intersections. We will try to monitor traffic, but we can’t guarantee control at any corners.
3. Please! Runners and walkers only. No bibs are allowed on Bicycles, skaters, skiers, little ones in strollers etc.
4. Be careful! Have fun! Be Thankful.

 

Please note:
This is a family-friendly event! Feel free to bring your children along in strollers or have them join you on bikes or skates. Please keep children by your side and under your supervision at all times.

Children on wheels do not need to register for the race, but a donation is strongly encouraged if they’d like to enjoy the post-race refreshments. 100% of proceeds go directly to our charities, and the race is entirely funded by donations. Thank you for helping us support these great causes!

AWARDS

To simplify this event for the volunteers there will not be an official awards ceremony. Awards will be handed out at the finish line. Overall - each male and female 1st, 2nd & 3rd place finishers will receive a medal commemorating their finish in the event. Each 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner in each age division, male and female, will win a ribbon commemorating their age division place. All are expected to wear their awards at Thanksgiving Dinner so they can impress the relatives.

All finishers are to check-in at the Awards Table with their finishing time as soon as they finish the race. If you finish in the top three overall or in your age class, you will receive an award ribbon.

 

PROCEEDS

All proceeds from your race registration and all additional donations will be split 50/50 to support the following: 

Companions Journeying Together - Half of the proceeds will go to funding "Companions Journeying Together" ... CJT programs strive to impact the emotional, spiritual, and social lives of the incarcerated and their families. CJT seeks out opportunities to reach incarcerated women and men through a variety of programs designed to build healthy relationships and foster positive family communication. Our donation will be applied to Aunt Mary’s Storybook - We record incarcerated parents reading books to their children and send the recording and book to the child. 

For more information go to www.cjtinc.org

AND  

The Catholic Community of Oak Park Migrant Ministry  - The ministry is an interfaith effort serving the immigrant and migrant community since the Fall of 2022. To date the Ministry has resettled and accompanied 32 families, 26 of which have achieved financial independence. Each family is assigned a team of mentors that helps the families find jobs and navigate life in the United States. Open on Tuesday mornings, Centro San Bernardino (the former St Bernardine School) offers clothes, coats, shoes, winter gear, and bedding for migrants as well as a hot breakfast, immigration support services, social services. ESL, and a magical children's playspace. Most recently, the Ministry has been involved in assisting migrants in detention, supporting families whose main breadwinner is detained, accompanying migrants to their court hearings, and creating low-literacy flyers to alert migrants of the constant changes in asylum court proceedings. The Ministry is completely run by volunteers, many of whom attend the St Giles Family Mass Community!

SPONSORS AND DONORS

The costs of managing this event continue to rise.  This year we are spending some money to hire a finish line computer timing system and additional signage. It is somewhat costly expenditure, but for the past few years we have had a problem providing finish times for the trotters immediately after their finish. This caused confusion and made it difficult to provide awards for the age group finishers. So we are asking for a few major sponsors to off-set the additional cost for this timing system and course marking/signage.  Please reach out to the race management team if you are interested in sponsoring this event.

AND  

At sign-up, there will also be an opportunity to make additional donations along with your race registration to the two organizations mentioned above.

 

2025 Results

5K Age Group Results

5K Overall Finish List

All Results View and Search

 

2024 Results

5K Age Group Results

5K Overall Finish List

All Results View and Search