Massapequa runners have two turkey trots to pick from this November, five days apart and a couple of miles from each other. The Massapequa Park Turkey Trot loops the lake on Saturday, November 21, and the Massapequa Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K starts at John J. Burns Park on Thanksgiving morning, November 26.

Saturday, November 21: the Massapequa Park Turkey Trot

The Saturday race starts from Brady Park at 1000 Lake Shore Drive in Massapequa Park. The 5K run and walk goes off at 9 a.m., with a stroller division in the same race, and a youth fun run of three quarters of a mile around the lake starts at 8:30 a.m.

Registration is $38 for the 5K and the stroller division and $22.50 for the youth run, fees included, with prices going up after November 20. A virtual 5K is $27.50 for anyone who wants to run it on their own course. The race benefits the YES Community Counseling Center, the Massapequa counseling agency, and runners can fundraise for it through their registration page.

Bibs and shirts are handed out on Friday, November 20, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at YES Community Counseling Center, 75 Grand Avenue, Massapequa, and on race morning at Brady Park from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Day-of registration is available at bib pickup for an extra $5. Shirts are not guaranteed for anyone who signs up after November 14.

Thursday, November 26: the Thanksgiving Day 5K at Burns Park

The Thanksgiving race is at John J. Burns Park, 4990 Merrick Road, a Town of Oyster Bay park on the water. A half-mile fun run for kids starts at 8:30 a.m., and the 5K run and walk starts at 9:15 a.m. The race is held rain or shine.

The 5K is $35 plus a processing fee, about $38.98 in all at the current price, rising to about $44.15 on race day. The half-mile fun run is untimed, costs $10 plus a fee and does not include a shirt. Registrants who sign up by November 6 are guaranteed a long-sleeve race shirt in their size; after that, shirts are available while sizes last. Members of the Greater Long Island Running Club can note their membership when they register.

Packet pickup is the day before, Wednesday, November 25, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the back building at Burns Park near the boat ramp, which is also where late registrants have the most likely shot at a shirt. Runners can look up their bib numbers online and bring them on their phones.

Choosing between them

The two races fit different holiday plans. The Saturday trot leaves Thanksgiving morning free and gives families with strollers and young children a division and a lakeside fun run of their own. The Thursday race is on the holiday itself, at a waterfront park, with a half-mile fun run for the youngest runners.

How to sign up

Register for the Massapequa Park Turkey Trot on RunSignup, and for the Massapequa Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K on elitefeats.

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