Naperville Noon Lions Turkey Trot

2012 was the 15^th year for this event. It’s run on Thanksgiving Day and the motto is «Run fast, eat later, no penalty!» This year the race was limited to 7,500 participants and they sold out at least 3 weeks before the event.
*Easy sign up online.
*Packet pick up at Naperville Running Company was a total breeze. I went on the last day, and I was still in and out in less than a minute. Very organized and the volunteers are very excited for you. Lots of smiles and «good lucks»
*Virtual goodie bag. Links online to special services/​treats for the runners. (But I still wish we had some kind of real goodie bag – energy bars and the like)
*Long-​sleeve technical T-​shirt that I will wear with pride.
*The race starts and ends at Naperville Central HS so you’re running down a few business streets and through residential areas. The course is totally flat and there is some natural preserve scenery. But what was most entertaining was the various display of «turkey» wear people were sporting. Kudos to the girl with the brown sweatshirt, brown sparkly tutu and orange tights! Kudos to the girl in the full body furry turkey costume as well! I saw chefs, one or two pilgrims, but mostly turkey hats and turkey headbands.
*Friends and family could hang out in the gym before/​during the race. It was pretty cold in the morning so it was nice to stay a little warm before heading out for the start.
*Water available before and at the midway point. Water and bananas at the end of the race. Well, bananas for the fastest runners anyway. (They ran out)
*FREE pancake breakfast in the HS cafeteria afterward too!
I would totally participate in this event again.