27th Annual Turkey Trot

About this event

The Waukegan Park District is hosting the 27th Annual Turkey Trot on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 10am at Waukegan’s Greg Petry SportsPark, located at 3391 W. Beach Road. Participants will have the opportunity to compete in races for a chance to win a turkey while helping the community with a canned food drive that will benefit the COOL Food Pantry in Waukegan.

Races will be held for the following age groups: 13 to 23 months, 2 to 3 years, 4 to 5 years, 6 to 7 years, 8 to 10 years, 11 to 13 years, 14 to 59 years, and 60+ years. Races range from five yards to one mile, depending on the age group. The first-place male and female finishers in each age group will be awarded a turkey. All participants will receive a ribbon.

The Waukegan Park District hosted the first Turkey Trot in 1999 at Bevier Park, located at 2255 York House Road. The event has been held at Waukegan’s Greg Petry SportsPark since 2021. The 27th Annual Turkey Trot is hosted as part of the GO WAUKEGAN community initiative. In collaboration with the Lake County Health Department, the Waukegan Park District launched the community initiative to improve the health and wellness of local residents by enhancing and increasing the shared experience of walking through activities, education, and collaboration.

On-site check-in and registration will begin at 9am. Preregistration is preferred. The cost to participate is a donation of two cans of non-perishable food. For more information, contact Amerie Fortune at afortune@waukeganparks.org or 847-782-3625.