Rose Bowl Turkey Trot Kicks Off Thanksgiving Under Beautiful Sunny Morning Skies

Scores of Pasadena residents (some costumed) filled the Rose Bowl on Thanksgiving morning for the 8th Annual Turkey Trot, a festive 5K that raised funds for Eaton Fire recovery and brought athletes, families, and neighbors together in solidarity. [Rose Bowl photo]

Eight months after the Eaton Fire displaced families across the region, thousands of Pasadena residents gathered at the Rose Bowl on Thanksgiving morning for a 5K run that doubled as a statement of solidarity: registration fees from the 8th Annual Turkey Trot went directly to fire recovery efforts.

The Thursday sent participants on a 3.1-mile loop past Brookside Golf Course with the San Gabriel Mountains rising under clear morning skies. Arches, cones, and branded banners marked the route around the stadium.

The crowd defied easy categorization. Competitive runners stretched alongside families pushing strollers. Grandparents walked with grandchildren. Turkey hats and themed headbands bobbed through the crowd, lending the morning a carnival atmosphere as participants posed for photos against event backdrops.

Organizers structured the Turkey Trot as both fitness event and fundraiser. Registration fees supported the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Pasadena Educational Foundation’s Eaton Fire Response Fund, which aids families affected by the January 2025 fire.

The race drew strong turnout. Organizers reported that more than a thousand spots remained available in late November, but registrations accelerated rapidly as Thanksgiving approached.

The Turkey Trot has grown steadily since its 2018 launch under the leadership of Julia Goldstein, now Executive Director of Events at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

What began as a modest holiday event has become a Thanksgiving fixture, drawing a cross-section of the community—serious athletes and casual walkers alike—to the same starting line.

The race concluded by 10:30 a.m., sending participants home in time to help with holiday preparations.