The Big Turkey Half Marathon, 10K and 5K races will be held on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, 2026, at Oak Ridge Park on Oak Ridge Road in Clark, according to the event's registration page on RunSignup. The organizers describe it as the 3rd annual Thanksgiving Day event on the grounds, with all three distances starting in the morning.
For many runners and walkers in Rahway, Clark, Linden and Woodbridge, the next six weeks are the heart of training. Weekly mileage climbs, long runs get longer, and the cooler, darker evenings push more of that running onto sidewalks and paved paths. That is often when foot problems that were easy to ignore in the summer start to get in the way: heel pain with the first steps in the morning, blisters and black toenails from long runs, ingrown toenails, and soreness on top of the foot that does not settle between runs.
Essex Union Podiatry sees runners and other active patients at its Rahway location at 1600 St. Georges Ave Suite 114, along the St. Georges Avenue corridor. Patients from Linden, Clark, Woodbridge and surrounding Union County communities reach the Rahway location in under 15 minutes, according to the practice. Rahway is where the practice began: Essex Union Podiatry was founded in 1995 with a single location in Rahway and has grown to four New Jersey locations.
The Rahway team treats sports injuries such as ankle sprains and stress fractures, along with plantar fasciitis and ingrown toenails, and every location has on-site digital X-ray, so imaging can happen during the same visit as the exam. The practice says the aim in the weeks before a race is not to stop people from training, but to tell normal soreness apart from pain that points to an injury. Pain in one spot on a bone, pain that gets worse as a run goes on, or heel pain that is still there every morning is worth having looked at before race day.
"A Thanksgiving race is a great goal, and the weeks before it are when we start to see heel pain, ingrown nails and sore spots on the top of the foot from the extra miles. Most of it can be managed without giving up the race, as long as it is looked at early. If the pain is in one spot, or it keeps getting worse during a run, have it checked now rather than in December," said a spokesperson for Essex Union Podiatry.
Podiatrist Checklist
- Build mileage gradually over the next six weeks rather than adding a lot of distance at once.
- Avoid new shoes, insoles or socks in the final two weeks; race in gear that has already handled your long runs.
- Trim toenails straight across a few days before the race, not the night before.
- Treat blisters and hot spots early, and keep the skin clean and dry between runs.
- Take morning heel pain, swelling on top of the foot or pain in one spot on a bone seriously, and have it evaluated.
Schedule an Appointment
Rahway-area runners and walkers can learn more about seeing a podiatrist at Essex Union Podiatry, 1600 St. Georges Ave Suite 114, or call (732) 936-7543.
About Essex Union Podiatry
Essex Union Podiatry is a podiatry practice founded in 1995 with a single location in Rahway, New Jersey, where it still sees Union County patients at 1600 St. Georges Ave Suite 114. It now treats patients at four New Jersey locations in Rahway, Caldwell, Springfield and Jersey City. Its board-certified podiatrists provide general podiatry, sports medicine, diabetic foot and wound care, pediatric podiatry, custom orthotics and foot and ankle surgery, including total ankle replacement and Lapiplasty bunion correction. Every location has on-site digital X-ray. More information is available at essexunionpodiatry.com.