Oly Trail Runners is hosting a self-paced trail run and hike in Capitol Forest during Thanksgiving week, raising money for the Thurston County Food Bank.

The event, called "Less Turkey, More Trot," runs Saturday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 29. Participants pick their own start time and complete one of three courses starting and finishing at the Mima Falls Trailhead, according to the group's registration page on UltraSignup.

There is no mass start.

Organizers mark the courses with turkey signs, jokes and flags, and runners choose when to go, according to the event's Experience Olympia listing.

Three distance options are available: 9 km (about 5.5 miles), 21 km (about 13 miles) and 33 km (about 20 miles). Participants can also sign up for all three.

The trailhead location is a change for 2026. The Margaret McKenny Trailhead, used in previous years, is closed, according to UltraSignup. Runners unfamiliar with the area are encouraged to carry a map, available through the Friends of Capitol Forest website or the Oly Trail Runners website.

Registration costs $20 for adults and $10 for youth. The UltraSignup page states that proceeds will be donated to the Thurston County Food Bank. The Oly Trail Runners event page lists both Oly Trail Runners and the food bank as recipients.

A separate raffle also benefits the food bank. Raffle tickets cost $10, and prizes include items from local businesses such as Olympia Coffee, Fleet Feet, Beerwerks and Vic's, along with a physical therapy evaluation from Tahoma Physical Therapy and a pair of Hoka shoes.

Participants need a Discover Pass displayed in their vehicle to park at the trailhead.

In an Experience Olympia profile published in January, Jeff Barrette, an Oly Trail Runners board member and longtime member of Friends of Capitol Forest, said he spends more than 500 hours a year maintaining trails in the forest. "There is so much to learn about Capitol Forest and it is such a great resource that many just don't know about," Barrette said.

Registration stays open through the last day of the event at UltraSignup. Since 2020, the event has raised more than $20,000 for the food bank.