The 4S Ranch Turkey Trot Nearly Ended. This Thanksgiving It Adds a 10K.

On Thursday, Nov. 26, the 3rd Annual San Diego–North County Turkey Trot will start at 16118 4S Ranch Parkway. For the first time, the first runners off the line will be doing a 10K, not a 5K. The first two editions of this version of the race had a 5K and a kids' run and nothing longer. A race only adds a longer distance when it has enough runners to fill one, and the record shows how this one built up to that.

A Run Older Than Most of Its Courses

The Thanksgiving morning run in 4S Ranch started long before it was called a Turkey Trot. The San Diego Union-Tribune traced its history back to 2010.

• 2010: The run starts as the Thank You Run, raising money for the 4S Ranch-Del Sur Community Foundation and Helen's Closet.
• Pandemic years: The event pauses.
• 2022: It comes back with 886 participants.
• 2023: It doesn't run.
• 2024: It returns as the North County Turkey Trot under a new organizer.
• 2025: The second annual race is held on Nov. 27.
• 2026: The third annual race adds a 10K.

A full disclosure belongs here, because this post comes from that history. The Union-Tribune reported that the longtime organizers were Theresa and Ray Shay. When they stepped aside and the foundation disbanded, the tradition looked finished. The race is run by a different organizer now, and the Shay Realtor Hub hosts packet pickup.

How It Came Back

In the summer of 2024, Tiffinie Harpster asked Ray Shay about bringing the run back under her leadership. The Union-Tribune described her as a 19-year 4S Ranch resident who had run in the earlier races. She told the Union-Tribune why the morning mattered to her family:

"It was our family tradition. We loved getting exercise before we ate turkey later in the day. It was a community event and we would see people we haven't seen in a while."

She had never organized a race before. She said a committee of friends was helping, but about 90 percent of the work that first year fell to her. She also made one deliberate change. The earlier races mostly drew runners from the 92127 ZIP code, so she renamed the event the North County Turkey Trot to widen its reach. The name has since grown to San Diego–North County Turkey Trot, which shows how far beyond 4S Ranch the race now advertises.

Back to Its Old Size, Then Past It

The numbers show the renaming worked. On Nov. 13, 2024, two weeks before that year's race, Harpster told the Union-Tribune about 500 people had signed up and she was hoping for 1,000. She also said earlier editions, before the 2022 restart, had drawn well over 1,200 participants according to newspaper reports at the time.

The race reached its 1,000 goal in its first year back. By its second year, the 5K alone was back to the pre-pandemic size the old newspaper reports described. The 10K is the next step. The race has room for a longer, earlier start, so the 5K field doesn't have to absorb every new runner.

Thanksgiving Morning, Hour by Hour

The 10K goes first, and the rest of the morning follows the official RunSignup schedule:

1. 7:15 a.m. 10K start
2. 7:30 a.m. 5K start
3. 8:30 a.m. 5K awards
4. 8:45 a.m. Kids 1K Fun Run
5. After the 1K 10K awards and costume contest

Families get a useful break between the races. A parent running the 5K can finish, catch the 5K awards, and still line up with a child for the 1K. The race site invites parents to run the 1K with their kids. Parents need to register for it unless they're already entered in the 5K. The costume contest gives awards to the top three. Age-division awards for men and women run from 8 to 80 and over. San Diego Tourism's event listing describes the course as open to participants pushing strollers.

Packet pickup is the afternoon before, Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 1 to 6 p.m. It's at the Shay Realtor Hub, 16611 Dove Canyon Road, in the 4S Ranch Village Center, which the race site describes as two minutes from the start.

The Price Steps Up After Nov. 23

Registration fees have gone up in steps since summer, and one increase is left before race day. As this post publishes on Nov. 12, these are the posted base prices:

With fees, RunSignup shows the 5K at $59.30 and the 10K at $69.90. Both go up after 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 23. Kids 1K registration stays open until 11:59 p.m. on Thanksgiving itself. Everyone gets a souvenir shirt, a medal, a swag bag and a raffle entry.

The 2024 Course Ran Mostly on Neighborhood Trail

In 2024, the Union-Tribune described the route using the race map at the time. Runners left from the 4S Ranch Boys & Girls Club at 16118 4S Ranch Parkway and ran along Dove Creek Road and Dove Canyon Road. They then took the trail behind Oak Valley Middle School and nearby homes and came back on streets to finish in 4S Ranch Sports Park. Harpster said about 75 percent of that course was on trail maintained by the 4S Ranch HOA, and she gave runners a warning: "The challenge hill has a steep incline."

That was the 2024 route. The race site keeps a Race Map page, and it's the place to check for this year's course before planning a pace. A 10K has to cover twice the distance of the old 5K route.

Where the Registration Money Goes

According to the race's RunSignup page, all proceeds go to Active Kids Alliance, which gives sports scholarships to children and families in need. Harpster founded the nonprofit when she revived the run, and Active Kids Alliance lists her as founder and executive director. It describes itself as a California 501(c)(3). It raises scholarship money through two events: a July 4th 5K and the November Turkey Trot. Both are held in 4S Ranch, FOX 5 reported, and they fund scholarships for children ages 5 to 18 across San Diego County.

The race site says those four events, two Turkey Trots and two Fourth of July runs, have helped more than 115 families so far. In 2010 the Thanksgiving run started as a fundraiser for a 4S Ranch-Del Sur community group. It still raises money for kids in the neighborhood, through a nonprofit set up to keep the run going.

The Next Neighborhood Date Is Dec. 5

After Thanksgiving, the 4S Ranch calendar moves to evenings. 4SConnect's Black or White Winter Soiree is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at Flecha Cantina, 10514 Craftsman Way, in 4S Commons Town Center. It's a 21+ event. Tickets are $35 each or $60 a pair and include dinner and two drink tickets. Flecha Cantina has been open since November 2025, FOX 5 reported.

If you're picking up a race packet on Nov. 25, come say hello. Shay Realtors is glad to host the afternoon before the trot at our Community Hub on Dove Canyon Road. Any time you'd like to talk about the neighborhood that keeps this tradition going, schedule a free neighborhood consultation with our local experts.