"I am thankful for … being 80 and still running in this race!" That was the bib of one of the oldest runners at a recent Tri-Valley Turkey Burn, as Pleasanton Weekly reported for the event's 10th anniversary. Her husband's bib said, "Me, too!"
Those two bibs explain how the event works. Pleasanton North Rotary runs the Turkey Burn as a 5K and 10K. The race page lists maps for both, then says participants "can self-select whatever distance they would like to run, walk, or stroll." The organizers built a morning anyone can join at their own pace, and the crowd has grown to match. The 12th edition is Thursday, November 26, 2026, at Ken Mercer Sports Park. The park sits just off Hopyard Road, the same road that forms one edge of Ponderosa's central Pleasanton location.
Two weeks out, here is the schedule
The park is at 5800 Parkside Drive, just off Hopyard Road. Two days carry the whole event:
| When | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Packet pickup for bibs and any shirts, hats or socks you ordered | Ken Mercer Sports Park, second parking lot |
| Thu., Nov. 26, 7:30 a.m. | Sponsor expo, on-site registration, packet pickup, bib decorating | Ken Mercer Sports Park |
| Thu., Nov. 26, 8:45 a.m. | Pre-race warm-up | Ken Mercer Sports Park |
| Thu., Nov. 26, 9:00 a.m. | 10K start | Ken Mercer Sports Park |
| Thu., Nov. 26, 9:10 a.m. | 5K start | Ken Mercer Sports Park |
The race listing gives the event location as 5800 Parkside Drive, Parking Lot #4, and points people to Parking Lot #2 for packet pickup. Bring the QR code from your registration confirmation, on your phone or printed. Organizers say it speeds up pickup on both days.
Registration costs $25 for adults, $10 for youth ages 10 to 17 and $5 for kids under 10. Babies in strollers are free. Dogs are welcome on a leash. Every registrant gets a finisher medal, and there's coffee before the start and snacks after.
The route leaves the park for the arroyo
The race's course description lays out the route in five steps:
- A paved trail loop around Ken Mercer Sports Park.
- A very short stretch on Omega Circle.
- Out along the Arroyo Mocho Trail.
- The 5K turns back toward the park at Lin Gate Circle.
- The 10K keeps going and turns back at Stoneridge Drive.
Mile markers are posted, and course marshals and water stations sit at key sections. Because both routes are out-and-back on the same trail, everyone heads out along the Arroyo Mocho together and comes back the same way. The two turnaround points are the only places where the 5K and 10K split.
So the choose-your-distance rule has a real course behind it. Someone pushing a stroller can turn back at Lin Gate Circle. A teenager can run to Stoneridge Drive. A grandparent can walk part of the trail and head back to the park whenever they like. They all start together and finish in the same place, close enough in time for the coffee.
The bib is the main event
Ask people why they come back, and the answer usually isn't the course. Every registrant gets a customizable bib that starts with "I am thankful for…", and a Bib Design Center at the park gives you a place to fill it in. On race morning, bib decorating opens at 7:30 a.m. with registration and packet pickup, more than an hour before the first start.
Pleasanton Weekly's 10th-anniversary feature credits Turkey Burn co-founder Ron Sutton with suggesting the bibs. It reports that they're especially popular with children and that most adults decorate and wear them too. The same article quotes a longtime participant on why the bibs bring people back:
"We love every year reading what people are grateful for. That is just fun. Some make you laugh. Others make you think. It is a great way to get insight into people's lives and what they are going through."
The Weekly also describes the park as a place where people back home for Thanksgiving reconnect with old friends and classmates. Michael Cherman, the 2024 organizing committee co-chair, told the paper, "The Turkey Burn has become a community tradition."
How big the morning has grown
The numbers back him up. Patch reported more than 2,100 attendees in 2021 and $15,500 raised for youth programs. By 2023, according to Pleasanton Weekly, more than 2,200 walkers and runners crossed the starting line. On its event page, Pleasanton North Rotary says more than 3,000 Tri-Valley community members took part in last year's event as participants and volunteers.
That puts a few thousand people at a park just off Hopyard Road on a holiday morning, all within about an hour and a half. Arriving at 7:30 a.m. for the expo and bib table is the organizers' own suggestion. The Rotary page asks people to come early for free coffee, to design a bib, visit sponsor booths and "wish your friends and neighbors a Happy Thanksgiving." If you're picking up your packet ahead of time, Wednesday's 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. window means one less line on Thursday.
The food drive starts a day early
The pantry collection is easy to miss. Pleasanton North Rotary collects non-perishable food for the Bay Area Rescue Mission Food Pantry, with bins set out during packet pickup times. Since pickup opens Wednesday, someone who stops by Ken Mercer Sports Park on November 25 can drop off food a day before the race.
The Rotary welcomes any donation. These are the items it lists as most needed:
- Cereal
- Peanut butter
- Pasta and rice
- Beans and soups
- Canned meats such as tuna, chicken and Spam
- Canned vegetables and fruit
- Sauces and gravy
- Hot cocoa, tea and instant coffee
Registration fees, donations and sponsorships support Pleasanton North Rotary youth programs, including scholarships, leadership training and youth exchange. The Pleasanton North Rotary Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, manages the money. The Rotary page also has a donation link for anyone who can't make it on Thursday. Questions about the race go to the race director at [email protected].
The next date on the town calendar
Nine days after the Turkey Burn, the city's holiday season moves downtown. The City of Pleasanton's Hometown Holiday Celebration is Saturday, December 5, 2026, on Main Street, with a 5 p.m. parade followed by the tree lighting. For more on the area and what's coming up across town, our Pleasanton community page keeps the local picture in one place.
To sign up for the Turkey Burn, use the registration page. Packet pickup is Wednesday, November 25, and the first runners start at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving.
At Armario Homes, we follow the Tri-Valley calendar because these mornings are part of what makes Pleasanton home. If you'd like to talk about your plans for the year ahead, whether you're staying near Ken Mercer Sports Park or thinking about a change, we'd be glad to sit down with you. Schedule a Free Consultation whenever the timing feels right.
