At 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 26, runners and walkers will line up on Christopher Drive next to Scarborough Faire. Many will be wearing costumes. They will head toward the ocean and come back to the same stretch of pavement about 5 kilometers later. For three Thanksgivings in a row, nothing like that happened in Duck. The Outer Banks Voice reports that the race came back in 2025 after a three-year hiatus. It carries on the old Advice 5K Turkey Trot, which "brought generations of Outer Banks residents and visitors together each year."
The revived race is also very compact. Packet pickup is on Scarborough Lane, and the start, the finish and the party are all at Scarborough Faire. That small area is where Duck's Thanksgiving week now gathers. The Town of Duck's FY2026–27 budget says the 2025 race brought "over 700 runners/ walkers and their families" to Duck over Thanksgiving. That was its first year back.
The Race That Took Three Years Off
The race's registration page says the Advice 5K Turkey Trot retired in 2021. The plan to bring it back went public at the March 5, 2025, Duck Town Council meeting. There, Gray Berryman described how the track club would revive the race, according to The Coastland Times. The race is now produced by the Outer Banks Track Club, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports youth runners in Dare County.
Interest in the first year back was clear. The Outer Banks Voice reported that the 2025 race sold out less than a month before Thanksgiving. Registration for 2026 opened September 1 and stays open only until the race hits capacity. If 2026 sells out on the same schedule as 2025, it may already be full or close to full when you read this. Check the registration page before you plan Thursday morning around it.
Here is how the week runs, in order.
Wednesday Evening at Swells'a
The festivities start the night before the 5K. The Outer Banks Voice says packet pickup is Wednesday evening at Swells'a Brewing Duck Dive Bar, where participants pick up their race materials and meet other runners and walkers. This year, that means Wednesday, November 25. The Dive Bar is at 106 Scarborough Lane. That is the same street the course takes back toward NC 12 on Thursday, so pickup happens on the race route itself.
Every registration includes:
- A T-shirt and swag bag
- A hot drink ticket for coffee or hot chocolate
- A Swells'a beer ticket for participants over 21
- Post-race carbs and aid stations on the course
- Entry to the post-race party, plus a charity auction and raffles
Thursday, 8 a.m.: The Costume Table Opens
The costume contest has its own schedule. According to the Outer Banks Voice, sign-ups run from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Costume Contest Table, and you need a race bib to enter. There are three categories: Best Thanksgiving Costume, Most Ducky Costume and Best Group Costume. Because the table stays open until 10, a family whose slowest walker finishes after the leaders can still enter.
The top prizes are pies. The first male and first female finishers each get one from Sweaterbox Confections, and other prizes are handed out at random. The race is not chip timed. Top finishers are posted, but everyone else's time is not, and a race clock at the line shows the elapsed time. Pets are not allowed on the course.
Thursday, 9 a.m.: A Loop Through Two Duck Neighborhoods
The course stays inside Duck's residential streets instead of running down the main road from end to end. It covers the oceanside streets behind downtown, then goes up NC 12 to Schooner Ridge and back. The registration page lays it out like this:
- Start on Christopher Drive next to Scarborough Faire and head east toward the Atlantic.
- Turn south on Ocean Way.
- Head back toward the sound on Scarborough Lane until it meets NC 12.
- Go north on NC 12 to Schooner Ridge Drive, across from the Global Methodist Church.
- Climb up and over the hill on Schooner Ridge and run through Chip Court.
- Finish the Schooner Ridge Drive loop, then return south on NC 12.
- Finish near the start on Christopher Drive.
The route matters to anyone who lives along it. Ocean Way, Scarborough Lane, Schooner Ridge Drive and Chip Court will all have runners and walkers on them on Thanksgiving morning. Part of NC 12 between Scarborough Lane and Schooner Ridge is on the course too. Plan any early drive to the bridge or to family accordingly. The registration page lists the event location as 1117 Duck Road.
The Outer Banks Voice quoted Berryman on who the race is for:
"Whether you run the whole course, walk with your family or come out in costume just to have some fun, it's a great way to start Thanksgiving and be part of the Duck community."
The registration page describes the race the same way, as an event "for vacationers, homeowners, and locals to celebrate the Thanksgiving Day holiday together."
After the Finish: Treehouse Cafe and Coffee
The finish line is close to the party. According to the Outer Banks Voice, the post-race celebration is at Treehouse Cafe and Coffee in Scarborough Faire. It will have refreshments, coffee, hot chocolate and post-race food, and Swells'a Brewing Duck Dive Bar will be set up on site.
Put together, the event uses Christopher Drive, Scarborough Lane and Scarborough Faire over two days, plus the loop out and back. That footprint is how a race the town says drew more than 700 people and their families in 2025 can fit into the middle of Duck without spilling into the rest of town.
The Kitchen Side of the Morning
A 9 a.m. race leaves less time for a big Thanksgiving dinner, so the timing of meal pickup matters. Red Sky Casual Dining & Cocktails, at 1197 Duck Road, offers a "Gobble To Go" Thanksgiving feast cooked by Chef Wes and the Red Sky team. The details from Red Sky's site:
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| How to order | Toast Online Ordering System only |
| Order deadline | Monday, November 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. |
| Pickup option 1 | Wednesday, November 25, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. |
| Pickup option 2 | Thursday, November 26, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. |
| Pickup time | Choose the day when ordering; arrive any time in that window |
| Questions | [email protected] |
Thursday pickup opens at 9 a.m., the same minute the race starts. A household with a runner can split up, with one person on Christopher Drive and one on Duck Road. Or it can pick up on Wednesday morning, before packet pickup that evening at Swells'a.
The Same Stretch of Duck Road, Before and After
Red Sky is just up the road from Roadside Bar & Grill at 1193 Duck Road. Roadside sits in one of the village's original cottages and has been serving customers since 1995. Its site says it came under new ownership in 2025 by Coastal Provisions, Inc. The site promotes renovations, a new deck and a backyard bar marked "Coming Soon." Posted hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends.
Roadside also has a town hearing coming up. On Friday, November 6, at 10 a.m., the Town of Duck Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on variance application BOV-2026-003. The application comes from property owner Spark Power, LLC. The Town's notice says it asks to reconstruct the non-conforming Roadside building within the front setback and expand it to the east and west to provide ADA accessibility. The western addition would sit 9.9 feet from the front property line, which requires a 5.1-foot variance from the 15-foot minimum. The Town said the staff report would be available about five days before the hearing.
Once Thanksgiving is over, the town's next public gathering moves from the Scarborough blocks to the sound. The Town of Duck's Yuletide Celebration is Saturday, December 5, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Duck Town Park. It will have holiday music, family activities, refreshments, a tree lighting and Santa's arrival.
If you're thinking about how a tradition like the Turkey Trot fits into owning a home in Duck year-round, or into renting one out over the holidays, Denise and Eddie at Corolla Real Estate have spent decades watching how the northern Outer Banks calendar shapes those choices. Schedule a private consultation and we'll talk through what Thanksgiving week looks like from your address.
