November 3, 2025
By Wendy Carlson
Photographs by Wendy Carlson
Some of us will do anything to avoid spending Thanksgiving morning in the kitchen. Running in the Goshen Turkey Trot is one way out.
For others, the 10K run is a way to earn the calories they anticipate consuming later in the day.
The course, which is famous for its challenging hills and beautiful scenery, is billed as the best, most authentic, small-town Thanksgiving Day running event in northwest Connecticut. This year marks the 48th year of the Goshen Turkey Trot, which was first organized by a group of local friends in the 1970s. Rain, snow, and sleet have failed to prevent this race from taking place during those nearly five decades.
The 2024 run was a case in point. It couldn’t have been a more miserable day for a road race—downright raw and rainy. Yet hundreds of people braved the elements, with smiles and lots of community spirit. Some wore costumes (orange garbage bags, turkey-head hats) as they splashed through puddles and battled the downpour.
Each year, the race starts and finishes at the Goshen Fairgrounds, looping along back roads through a combination of forest and farmland. Cow bells and cheers welcome the runners over the finish line, where they can look forward to hot cider and locally baked fresh donuts by a blazing bonfire.
Race director Roger Kimball and his parents became involved in the race shortly after it started. In the early days the race included about a hundred participants. Last year, more than 500 runners registered.
When it started, Thanksgiving races in Connecticut were a rarity, Kimball says. “It was basically just us and the Manchester 5K. Now there are many more races all over the state. But our race here in Goshen is different, and remains a very special tradition; it might also be the only 10K.
“On a good day the sun is shining and the course is gorgeous. When Mother Nature throws us a curveball, I’m blown away by the grit people demonstrate just to show up and do it. It’s a testament to their character and makes me proud to be a part of this community.”
Proceeds help support local organizations.
First-place male and female winners are awarded a turkey from Nodine’s Smokehouse. The overall winner receives the Adam R. Laschever Memorial Cup, which honors a Goshen native and distance runner who died of melanoma in 1997 at the age of 36. Other prizes include a chocolate turkey from Milkhouse Chocolates at Thorncrest Farm in Goshen; and pies baked by parishioners at the Congregational Church.
The best reward for all those who cross the finish line is, undoubtedly, the doughnuts. As for the rain in 2024, Shelley Maffucci from Lakeville, who runs the race every year, shrugged. “It’s hard-core awesome; I say, embrace it.”
Runners also earn bragging rights at the Thanksgiving table. Diehards Tammy Grella and Scott McCarty of Litchfield look forward to the challenge each year no matter the weather. But,Tammy says, “We don’t have to cook the turkey!”
