Charlotte's largest road race is lacing up again this Thanksgiving, with the CPI Security Turkey Trot set to return to SouthPark Mall on November 26, 2026, for its 37th year. The event is expected to once again draw a massive crowd following last year's turnout of 12,233 participants, and as always, registration fees and toy donations will benefit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's longtime holiday gift program for local families.
A Record-Setting Tradition Rooted at SouthPark
The Turkey Trot starts and finishes at SouthPark Mall, with start lines staged along Carnegie Boulevard, according to Queen City News. The lineup includes an 8K that starts at 8:10 a.m., a Harris Teeter 1-mile race beginning at 8 a.m., and a 5K that kicks off at 9:10 a.m. Registration reopened September 1, and organizers are encouraging early sign-ups for the best availability.
Families with younger kids have their own events too. The Harris Teeter Tot Trot, an approximately 50-yard dash open to children ages 8 and under, runs between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. with limited registration, starting from the finish festival area of the Dick's Sporting Goods parking lot. That same lot, located adjacent to Symphony Park, has long hosted the race's finish festival and Tot Trot space, per a local Scoop Charlotte report. Runners looking to skip race-morning lines can pick up packets during VIP pickup on October 24, 2026, or during general pickup on November 24 and 25, 2026.
Fueling CMPD's Decades-Old Christmas Project
Every Turkey Trot registration helps support the CMPD Explorers Christmas Project, an annual program run by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The project began in 1974 by helping 15 families and now provides gifts to thousands of children.
Participants can give back in two ways: making a financial donation during race registration or bringing an unwrapped toy on race day itself. Last year, race title sponsor CPI Security offered race-day bib snaps to the first 1,100 people who brought a toy.
CMPD's Christmas Project
The CMPD Christmas Project includes an annual delivery day.
Part of a Bigger Holiday Running Boom
Charlotte's race is also riding a nationwide surge in Thanksgiving Day running. A record 1,330,726 runners registered across 1,056 Thanksgiving Day races nationwide in 2025, a 20% jump from the year before, according to data from RunSignup. Those races collectively raised more than $3.17 million in charitable donations last year, with 76% of all Turkey Trots nationwide accepting donations for nonprofits.
The Turkey Trot supports the CMPD Explorers Christmas Project. The race is recognized as one of the 20 best Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trots in America and remains the largest road race in North Carolina, a distinction reinforced by last year's turnout of more than 12,000 participants.
