On the morning of Thursday, November 26, Port Washington will do what it has done every Thanksgiving for half a century: close its roads, pin on race bibs and run five miles before dinner. The Port Washington Thanksgiving Day 5 Mile Run returns for its 51st year, starting and finishing at Manorhaven Beach Park at 8:30 a.m., rain or shine, and registration for 2026 is open now.

The run is organized by the Community Chest of Port Washington, which calls it the Run for the Red Feather, and the proceeds go back into the peninsula: the Community Chest distributes what it raises to its local nonprofit partners.

The course

The five-mile route leaves Manorhaven Beach Park and rolls through Sands Point and Port Washington before coming back down to the park, with the finish overlooking Manhasset Bay. The organizers describe rolling hills in the middle miles and a downhill finish. Local roads along the course close at 8 a.m. on race morning.

The race is open to runners ages 9 and up, and children under 12 run with an accompanying adult. Walkers are welcome too, with one practical note from the organizers: anyone moving slower than a 24-minute mile may be asked onto the sidewalk after 10:30 a.m., and the finish line comes down after 11 a.m. Strollers, bicycles, skateboards and dogs stay home. Every finisher gets a medal, and entrants receive a long-sleeved race shirt.

What it costs, and the dates that matter

Entry for adults 22 and over is $45 through October 31, $55 from November 1, and $75 on race day. Runners ages 9 through 21 pay $30 in advance or $35 on race day, and wheelchair participants pay $25. A processing fee is added at online checkout. Registering about three weeks ahead, by roughly November 5, earns a personalized bib with your name on it.

Online registration stays open until 8:20 a.m. on race morning, ten minutes before the start, and same-day signup is available on site. Paper entries must reach the organizers by 3 p.m. on Monday, November 23.

Bib and shirt pickup runs Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Port Washington Adult Activities Center, 80 Manorhaven Boulevard, and again on race morning from 7 to 8:20 a.m. The organizers ask runners picking up their bibs to bring a donation for the local food pantries at Our Lady of Fatima, St. Peter of Alcantara and Littig House, which puts a second Thanksgiving table behind the race's own.

Getting there

The parking lot at Manorhaven Beach Park itself is closed to runners on race day. The organizers point drivers to the free lots at Soundview Marketplace and the Stop & Shop on Shore Road, along with legal street parking, and recommend arriving early ahead of the 8 a.m. road closures.

If you want in

The 51st Port Washington Thanksgiving Day 5 Mile Run starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 26 at Manorhaven Beach Park. Register online through the race's registration page, where the October 31 early rate is in effect now, or find the paper entry form on the Community Chest's run page.

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