The first Turkey Trot at Indian Valley Campus, in 1999, had 60 registered runners. That's what founder Jason Jacobs told Redwood Bark in 2022, when he put that year's field at "almost 1,700." The race hasn't shrunk since. Last Thanksgiving's Race Roster results show 1,069 entries in the 5K, 259 in the 10K and 360 in the Youth 1 Mile. That's 1,688 entries in total.
Most days, the end of Ignacio Boulevard is a quiet road that takes you to a college campus, a farm and a preserve. On Thursday, November 26, 2026, it holds roughly as many people as a small town. The 27th Bank of Marin Turkey Trot starts and finishes by the soccer fields at 1800 Ignacio Blvd. The college is closed that day, so the campus that normally sets the rules for this stretch steps aside for the morning.
How Thanksgiving morning plays out by the hour
The official schedule fits three races into half an hour.
| Time | What happens at IVC |
|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. | Race-day packet pickup, for runners who paid extra for it |
| 8:00 a.m. | Youth 1 Mile starts |
| 8:25 a.m. | 10K starts |
| 8:30 a.m. | 5K starts |
The 10K goes off five minutes before the 5K. So for a short stretch after 8:30, the longest course and the most crowded one are both underway. Every distance starts and finishes by the IVC soccer fields. Finishers get a long-sleeve race tee and a medal. By midmorning, most of the crowd is heading home to start cooking.
The course comes out onto Ignacio Boulevard
This part matters most if you live nearby and need to drive somewhere that morning. Race Roster says the Turkey Trot "runs on the roads out and back through the beautiful IVC campus and along Ignacio Blvd and finishes on the IVC fields." If you're picking up relatives or heading out to a Thanksgiving table across the county around 8:30, expect runners along the boulevard and plan more time to get out.
The official course map page links a separate MapMyRun route for each distance. Those route records, created in November 2024, show how differently the three courses climb:
- Youth 1 Mile: 1.05 miles with 31 feet of elevation gain, close to flat
- 5K: 3.14 miles with 239 feet of gain
- 10K: 6.22 miles with 387 feet of gain
Those numbers are useful for a family deciding who runs what. The kids' mile is about as level as anything on campus. The 5K climbs nearly eight times as much over three times the distance, so it's a real hill workout before the pie. Keep in mind that the records are the 2024 maps linked from the race site, not an official 2026 elevation profile.
Older descriptions online, including an expired 2016 event listing, describe the mile and 5K as cross-country runs on open space trails, with only the 10K on the road. The 2026 race page describes a road course out and back through campus and along Ignacio Blvd. For this year, go by the current race page and the linked maps.
The college's holiday closure decides where everyone parks
The race FAQ gives one parking instruction: arrive early enough to find a spot. The College of Marin calendar explains why that's realistic. The college's important dates page lists Thanksgiving Holiday as November 26 to 28, and its academic calendar says campuses will be closed those days.
That closure changes the parking rules. The campus police parking regulations say permits are required Monday through Saturday, "except school holidays," and the signs at lot entrances exclude Sundays and school holidays. On a normal weekday, a visitor without a permit is limited to Upper Lot 5, the free area marked with yellow lines. Otherwise it's a short-term visitor space or a paid permit, and the campus lists daily student permits at $4. As those regulations are written, Thanksgiving falls under the school-holiday exception. Read the signs at the lot entrance when you pull in, since posted signs still govern. The IVC campus map shows six numbered lots, 1 through 6.
Some rules still apply on the holiday. The regulations say vehicles must park in marked stalls, obey posted signs and markings, and keep to the 10 mph campus speed limit. Illegally parked cars can be cited or towed even when classes aren't in session. Nearly 1,700 entrants plus the families who come to cheer them on will fill marked stalls quickly. If you live close enough to walk to the soccer fields, walking avoids the lots entirely.
The weeks before: sold-out warnings and a pickup notice to check
The race is a fundraiser. The Turkey Trot site names Novato School Fuel as its cause and describes the foundation as supporting wellness, literacy, visual and performing arts, and technology for all Novato public schools. Bank of Marin describes the proceeds the same way, as support for local education programs through School Fuel.
Signing up costs more the longer you wait. The Race Roster registration page has 5K and 10K prices stepping up on November 18 and again on November 25, the day before the race. The Youth 1 Mile stays at one price the whole time. The page also warns that the race "really fills up and will sell out." It offers family discounts by email and says there are no refunds or deferrals unless you bought refund protection. Switching distances after you register costs $10 through your Race Roster account.
Packet pickup needs a closer look. The homepage pickup section still shows Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at Sports Basement Novato, 100 Vintage Way, and says there's no day-of pickup. That's last year's date. The 2026 schedule on the same page lists a 7:00 a.m. race-day pickup for runners who paid extra. The safest plan is to check marinturkeytrot.com during Thanksgiving week for the 2026 pickup day and location. If it is the Wednesday again, that would be November 25 this year. The homepage also says anyone can pick up your packet for you, and that registering two months ahead was the only way to guarantee a shirt size. That deadline passed in late September.
After the finish line, the preserve opens up
When the runners clear out, the end of Ignacio Boulevard goes back to being a trailhead. Marin County Parks tells visitors to the Indian Valley Open Space Preserve to drive Ignacio Boulevard through campus, park at the far west end, and look for the trailhead entrance on the right. The county places the Indian Valley Fire Road just past the campus baseball fields and names the Waterfall Trail, the Alexander Trail and the Ad and Gloria Schwindt Trail in the preserve.
The county's preserve closure list, updated September 28, 2026, includes Bald Hill, Horse Hill and Bolinas Lagoon. Indian Valley isn't on it. The preserve page warns that trails can get muddy in the rainy season, so check the weather before you take the Fire Road on Thanksgiving afternoon. The county notes that parking at the trailhead may cost a fee. On a school holiday, the campus regulations' permit exception covers those lots too.
The farm next door has gone quiet until December
There won't be any produce from the campus farm on race morning. The Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden ran its farmstand every Saturday from July through October, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It now stays closed until a single end-of-season Winter Market.
The date of that market depends on which college page you read. The farm's own page lists Saturday, December 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A separate College of Marin event listing lists Friday, December 18. It also advertises a limited number of $50 wreath-making workshop spots at 10 a.m. that day, with sign-up by email. If you want a wreath made a few hundred yards from Pointe Marin, contact the farm early. The workshop has a cap, and you'll want the right day on your calendar.
So between November 26 and that December market, there are two big days at the end of Ignacio Boulevard. One brings in close to 1,700 race entrants for a single morning. The other is the farm's one-day sendoff for the season.
If you're out on Ignacio Boulevard Thanksgiving morning, cheering on a runner or just trying to get to dinner on time, the Kyle Frazier team at Imagine Marin knows this stretch on race day and every other day of the year. Book an appointment if you want to talk through what living a short walk from the IVC soccer fields, the Fire Road and the farm looks like the rest of the year.
