Batavia to host Fox and Turkey Run on Thanksgiving morning

Batavia runners can start their Thanksgiving morning with a 4-mile race at the 28th annual The Fox and The Turkey races downtown.

This year’s event, hosted by the Fox River Trail Runners, will be from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28. The run will begin and end at the Batavia Riverwalk near the Municipal Center at 100 N. Island Ave.

Runners can register to participate until the day of the event, and packets can be picked up from noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 27 at Sturdy Shelter, 10 Shumway Ave., or at 6:30 a.m. on race day at the Batavia United Methodist Church, 8 N. Batavia Ave.

The event will begin with a 1-mile kids run starting at 7:30 a.m. followed by the 4-mile family run starting at 8:15 a.m. Registration costs $43 per adult and $15 per child.

Fox River Trail Runners will donate $5 for each registration for the 4-mile run to Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry to help those in need in the Kane County area.

The full race routes can be found at raceroster.com/events/2024/91983/2024-the-fox-and-the-turkey-races.

Motorists should use caution and expect increased pedestrian traffic from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. There will be several temporary roadblocks and traffic interruptions throughout the northwest portion of Batavia’s downtown.

The following intersections will be temporarily impeded: Route 31 and Houston Street, McKee Street and North Van Nortwick Avenue, North Avenue and North Van Nortwick Avenue, and North Avenue and Blackhawk Drive.

Houston Street will be fully closed to traffic between North Island Avenue and Route 31.

The run is an open road event, meaning runners will share the roadway with motorists. Each intersection along the route will be staffed by public safety employees and volunteers, and vehicular traffic will be permitted to pass whenever it is safe to do so.

For more information or questions, contact Batavia Police Department Deputy Chief Mike Johnson at 630-454-2500, or via email at foxandturkey@foxrivertrailrunners.org.