Encinitas Turkey Trot

Happy Thanksgiving! No better way to start the day than with a run in your community! I’ve run the Encinitas Turkey Trot both this year and last, so ²⁄₂!
Registration is easy online & they offer bib pick up in advance. Last year I went to the early pick up, this year I picked up morning of, and the line wasn’t too bad at the race. Moved pretty quickly.
Race course can’t be beat! Starting under the Encinitas Sign and running south either 1.5 or 3 miles to the turn around point and then heading back north. Mostly flat with a gradual uphill coming north from Cardiff into Encinitas (only have this if you run the 10K). Cones block road traffic and there are plenty of police officers monitoring. Course miles are displayed very easy to see.
Race started right on time, with the 10K starting at 7:30 and the 5K starting at 8, which I loved! And that people actually obeyed! I ran the 10K both years and it is SO nice to not have a ton of congestion at the start, since significantly more people run the 5K.
Water is provided at the 5K and 10K turnarounds and finish line.
This race is brand new so I’m sure these things will get better with time, but here are a couple areas for improvement and why the 4-​star:
— The water. Both years, there was nowhere near enough water. Especially at the 5K turn around when you are coming north from the 10K, it is SO packed and you can’t even get over to the west side of the road to the water table, and at 5ish miles I was pretty thirsty. The water situation is even more lacking at the finish line, where there was one guy pouring Dixie cups from a pitcher. There was a line for water, just waiting on the guy to fill a couple. They could benefit from a couple dozen more volunteers!
— The finish line area is also kind of a mess, not organized at all, super packed and the water, medals, etc. are really difficult to get to.
— The swag (shirts and medals) were the exact same both years — no changes at all and don’t even say the year. Kind of a bummer.
— Timing isn’t the most exact — all start times for runners are the same, regardless of when you cross the start line.
But, those things aside, I really enjoy the race and it will be a Thanksgiving morning tradition for our family for years to come. Chalking these kinks up to the early years of the race and if they get worked out, I’ll be sure to add that 5^th star!