Skinny Turkey Half Marathon & Just Think First 5K

Thursday, November 28, 2024 • Raleigh, NC • Course Map

Thanksgiving Day will mark the 14th annual running of a half marathon and 5K race designed to raise money for and awareness of the mission of Raleigh’s Just Think First program, which works to educate local teenagers and youths on the dangers of drugs and alcohol as well as issues related to violence, gangs, sex and the perils of peer pressure.

The goal of the program is to give children and teenagers information before they encounter these in their own lives, so they can make responsible choices.

Students in the program hear stories told not from actors or much older adults, but from fellow students who have attended North Raleigh’s Wakefield High School, where the program is based and where the race on Thanksgiving Day will start and finish.

Runners will follow an out-and-back course for the half marathon that starts in the parking lot of the high school — which is located on Wakefield Pines Drive — and then heads out on a winding and occasionally hilly route through the nearby residential areas known as Wakefield Plantation and Wake Falls. Runners will pass by a number of golf course holes and fairways along the route, as well as plentiful homes along the tree-lined streets of both neighborhoods.

The course is filled with mostly gently rolling hills, and organizers say that the stretch of the race route that takes runners through the Wake Falls neighborhood features some of the course’s most scenic terrain.

Runners will remain on paved roads throughout the race, and the scheduled starting time for the half marathon is 7:30 AM, followed by the 10K at 7:45 AM and the 5K at 8:00 AM.

Race Weather & Climate

Located in eastern North Carolina, about 20 miles southeast of Durham and roughly 140 miles northeast of Charlotte, Raleigh typically sees November temperatures that average between 42°F and 61°F, while rainfall totals average just over 3 inches, making November its second-driest month of the year.

On race day (Nov. 28), the average low is 38ºF and the average high is 60ºF.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Skinny Turkey Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

7:30 AM

Fees

$60 – $70 for the half marathon
$45 – $55 for the 10K
$35 – $45 for the 5K

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of the Skinny Turkey Half Marathon & Just Think First 5K, register online at the event website here.

Official Race Website

fsseries.com

Comments

Ever run in the Skinny Turkey Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.