The Maine Agenda › Outdoors in Maine

Turkey Trots Near Portland, Maine, 2026: Six Thanksgiving Races, Real Prices, and Which Ones Close Registration Early

Published October 18, 2026 · 8 min read

The first thing to know about Thanksgiving races around Portland is that three of the six do not happen on Thanksgiving. Two run the Sunday before, one runs the Sunday before that, and one of them stops taking entries a full week before it starts. If you wait until Thanksgiving week to pick a turkey trot, you are choosing from three races, not six.

Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Everything below was read off each race's own RunSignup page on October 18, 2026. Search results for "Portland turkey trot" also return Portland, Oregon's HTC Turkey Trot, which is a different state and a different day.

The short answer

For the biggest and most traditional race, run the Portland Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler ($33, 9:00 a.m.). For the one with the best reason to be there, run the Savage Family Turkey Trot at Bug Light Park in South Portland ($30, 9:00 a.m.). For a flat, certified 5K, Greely Hockey's race in Cumberland ($30). If you would rather not give up Thanksgiving morning, the Sunday races in Cape Elizabeth and Westbrook cost $25.

The six races, by date

Portland Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler: the one everyone means

This is the 45th running. The course is a certified two-loop four miles through the Old Port and downtown, and the Kids K (0.62 miles, ages 1 to 12, $3) starts at 8:30 a.m. at Monument Square and finishes in front of City Hall. The race page says nearly 1,700 runners and walkers took part in 2025, and that it began more than 44 years ago as a small race between Portland and Deering High Schools after the Thanksgiving football game, with about 30 people at the first one.

The practical details matter more than the history. Registration closes November 25 at 10:00 a.m. Shirts are guaranteed only to the first 400 registered, against roughly 1,700 participants last year, so late registrants should not count on one. The page lists free parking for runners and spectators in the Monument Square garage and asks you not to park on the surrounding streets. Packet pickup is at Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Avenue; the page gives a pre-race window of noon to 6:00 p.m. without naming the day, so read the page again in November before you plan around it. Race day pickup is 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. in the gym, which is a tight squeeze if you are running the 9:00 start.

It is a volunteer-run event that doubles as a food drive for Project Feed, now in its 41st year, and the page says this year honors George Towle, the event director since the start, who died in April 2026.

Savage Family Turkey Trot: the one with a reason

The race page says the Savage family started this in 2016 to honor Nathan Savage, a runner and triathlete who died of a heart attack that July. It is run by volunteers, sponsors cover the costs, and the page says more than $120,000 has gone back to South Portland kids since, mostly through a scholarship fund at the South Portland Community Center.

It is the 11th annual, a 5K starting at 9:00 a.m. at Bug Light Park, $30. On October 18 the page showed 653 spots left, so there is a cap, and registration ends November 25 at 12:01 a.m., meaning midnight at the start of Wednesday. If you decide on Wednesday afternoon, you are too late.

Greely Hockey 5K: the flat, certified one

The 19th annual race starts on Main Street in front of Greely High School in Cumberland and finishes on the Greely track. The page calls the course flat, residential and USATF certified. It costs $30 for adults and $25 for ages 18 and under, or $45 and $40 with a shirt, and the price goes up after November 18 at 11:59 p.m. Online registration runs until midnight Wednesday, November 25. Proceeds go to Greely Hockey Boosters.

Overall winners and age-group winners get a freshly baked pie, and children 8 and under can run free if they do not need a time or a shirt. The page lists an 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. window instead of a gun time, so confirm the actual start before you leave the house. Bib pickup is Tuesday, November 24 from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at the Greely High cafeteria, or Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon at Family Ice Center in Falmouth, or race morning from 7 to 7:45 a.m. No dogs, no bikes, no rollerblades; strollers are fine.

The Sunday races

Turkey Trot Tune Up, November 15. A run around Back Cove starting at Back Cove and Dartmouth Street, 9:00 a.m., with a free 100-meter Turkey Dash for ages 2 to 9 at 8:50 a.m. and a pancake breakfast after. Entry is $35 on the race's RunSignup page, and half of proceeds go to WinterKids. One aggregator lists it at $25, which is wrong. The page also contradicts itself on distance: the description says 3.5 miles, the registration URL says 5K. Ask before you set a goal pace. Registration stays open until 10:59 a.m. on race morning. Strollers and leashed dogs are welcome, per the page.

Westbrook High School Turkey Trot 5K, November 22. Fundraiser for the Class of 2027 Project Graduation. The 5K starts at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot by the baseball field, $25; the Kids Mile (12 and under, $10) starts at 8:30 a.m. on the track. Every finisher gets a medal. Registration ends November 15 at 9:00 p.m., a week before the race. There are no refunds for weather or no-shows, and a cancelled race is not rescheduled. Bib pickup is Saturday, November 21, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or race morning.

Maine Track Club Turkey Trot 5K, November 22. At Cape Elizabeth Middle School, 9:00 a.m., with a free kids fun run at 8:30. The 5K is $25 until November 3 at 11:59 p.m., then goes up. Runners who register by October 31 get a long-sleeve commemorative shirt. Proceeds and food donations go to Wayside Food Programs. The page has no written course description, only a map link. A $15 virtual option runs through November 29, which is why some aggregators show this race as "November 22 to 29" and some readers think it spans a week. It does not. For the club behind it, see our guide to Portland run clubs.

How to pick

If you want a crowd and a tradition and can tolerate a 9:00 a.m. downtown start, the 4-Miler. If you want a smaller race where your entry fee stays in South Portland, Savage. If you are racing for time, Greely's certified course is the one that will give you a number you can compare. If you have in-laws arriving Thursday, run the Sunday before and be done. If you want a loop with a stroller and a dog, the Tune Up is the one that says yes in writing.

If you are training for any of them, where to run in Portland covers the loops, and the Maine Marathon guide shows what the October race weekend looks like for comparison. For other seasonal things happening around the same dates, see Christmas and holiday events near Portland. The 4-Miler asks for volunteers from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on race day, and our volunteer guide covers where else to start.

What we did not check

We read six races. We did not read events in Freeport, Brunswick, Bath, Gorham, Windham or Scarborough, and we left out races in Sanford, Kennebunk, Hollis Center, Norway and Rockport as outside our 25-minute radius. If a race you know is missing, it may exist; we have not seen its page.

FAQ

When is Thanksgiving 2026, and which Portland-area races run that morning?

Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026. Three races near Portland run that morning: the Portland Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler at 9:00 a.m., the Savage Family Turkey Trot 5K at Bug Light Park in South Portland at 9:00 a.m., and the Greely Hockey Thanksgiving Day 5K in Cumberland.

How much does the Portland Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler cost?

The 4-miler costs $33 and the Kids K costs $3, per the race's RunSignup page. Registration ends November 25 at 10:00 a.m., and shirts are guaranteed only to the first 400 registered.

Which Portland-area turkey trots close registration before race day?

The Westbrook High School Turkey Trot 5K closes November 15 at 9:00 p.m. for a November 22 race. The Savage Family 5K closes at 12:01 a.m. on November 25, and Greely Hockey closes at midnight on November 25. The Turkey Trot Tune Up stays open until race morning, and the Cape Elizabeth page lists no closing date.

Is there a turkey trot in Portland, Maine, that allows strollers or dogs?

The Turkey Trot Tune Up on November 15 says strollers and dogs on leash are welcome. Greely Hockey allows strollers but no dogs. The other pages we read do not address dogs, so ask the organizer before bringing one.

How much is the Cape Elizabeth turkey trot?

The Maine Track Club Turkey Trot 5K at Cape Elizabeth Middle School is $25 through November 3 at 11:59 p.m., and the price increases after that. It is held Sunday, November 22 at 9:00 a.m., and the kids fun run is free.

Is this the Portland, Oregon turkey trot?

No. The HTC Turkey Trot is in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, November 25. Every race on this page is in Maine.