Burn The Bird 5K & 10K

🦃 Burn the Bird 5K & 10K

📅 Thursday, November 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day
📍 Fargo, ND
⏰ 5K & 10K Start: 8:30 AM

Before the turkey. Before the pie. 

🔥 Burn the Bird with us this Thanksgiving morning!

Kick off your holiday with one of Fargo’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions. Whether you’re racing the 10K, running or walking the 5K, pushing a stroller, chasing a PR, or simply earning a little extra room for dinner, Burn the Bird is all about moving, celebrating, and giving back together.

Grab your family, round up your friends, bundle up, and start Thanksgiving the Runday way. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

And the best part? Your miles make a difference. 💛

Proceeds from Burn the Bird support LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA, helping local cancer survivors rebuild strength, confidence, and community.

🏃 Choose Your Distance
🔥 5K Run/Walk
3.1 miles of Thanksgiving morning fun through Fargo. Run it, walk it, race it, or enjoy it with the crew.

🔥 10K Run
Looking for a little more burn before the bird? Take on the 10K and start Thanksgiving with 6.2 miles in the bank.

Both distances start at 8:30 AM.

All ages, abilities, and paces are welcome!

💛 Run for Something Bigger
When you Burn the Bird, you’re doing more than getting your Thanksgiving miles in.

Proceeds from the event benefit LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA of the Northern Sky.

LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA is a FREE wellness program for cancer survivors who may be rebuilding their strength and energy following cancer and treatment.

Participants work with YMCA exercise specialists to improve strength, flexibility, fitness, and self-confidence while connecting with a supportive community that understands the journey.

LIVESTRONG® participants can also enroll a support person alongside them and receive a complimentary YMCA membership while participating in the program.

So every registration, every starting-line high five, and every mile helps support something bigger right here in our community. 💛

You run. You give back. Together, we get stronger.

👉 Learn more about LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA: https://www.ymcanorthernsky.org/livestrong

🎽 Your Registration Includes
Every registered participant receives:

👕 Custom Burn the Bird race shirt
🏅 Custom Burn the Bird finisher medal
🎽 Race bib
⏱️ Chip timing
🍌 Finish-line refreshments
💛 Support for LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA
🦃 A Thanksgiving morning you’ll actually want to wake up early for

🦃 A Fargo Thanksgiving Tradition
Burn the Bird has been bringing runners, walkers, families, and friends together on Thanksgiving morning for more than a decade.

The course starts and finishes at the YMCA of the Northern Sky - Fercho Branch in downtown Fargo and takes participants through the surrounding neighborhoods before bringing everyone back together at the finish.

Come race it. Come walk it. Come make it part of your family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

All paces are welcome. All finish lines count. 🙌

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Bring the Whole Crew
Thanksgiving is better together...and Burn the Bird is built for the whole family.

We offer reduced pricing for participants 12 and under, and strollers are welcome on the course (Children riding in a stroller do not need to be registered unless you'd like them to receive their own race shirt and finisher medal).

So bring the kids, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, running buddies...and that one family member who says they "aren't a runner." 😉

There’s room for everyone at this starting line.

📍 Race Day
Thursday, November 26, 2026

📍 Start + Finish
YMCA of the Northern Sky - Fercho Branch
400 1st Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103

⏰ 5K + 10K Start: 8:30 AM

Additional race-day schedule and packet pickup information will be announced as event weekend gets closer.

📦 Packet Pickup
Packet pickup details for the 2026 event will be posted here once finalized. We strongly encourage participants to pick up their packet before race morning when available.

⏱️ Timing + Results
The 5K and 10K are professionally chip timed.

Live and final results will be available online so you can check your time, celebrate the PR, send the screenshot to the family group chat, and get back to Thanksgiving festivities. 🦃

🏆 Awards
Awards will be presented to the top three overall men and women in both the 5K and 10K.

Age-group results will also be published online.

We keep things moving on Thanksgiving morning so you can celebrate your finish and still make it home in time for the main event. 🍗

👟 Strollers + Accessibility
Strollers are welcome!

Burn the Bird is also an accessible event, and manual and electric wheelchairs are welcome.

We ask participants with strollers or mobility devices to position themselves appropriately within the starting area so everyone can have a safe and enjoyable race.

💛 More Than a Finish Line
Burn the Bird is about more than logging a few miles before Thanksgiving dinner.

It’s neighbors running together.
Families starting traditions.
Kids crossing finish lines.
Friends showing up for friends.
Cancer survivors rebuilding strength.
And a community coming together to do some good before sitting down to give thanks.

Whether this is your first 5K, your fastest 10K, or simply your favorite Thanksgiving tradition, there’s a place for you at the starting line.

🔥 Run your race.
💛 Support your community.
🦃 Burn the Bird.
🥧 Then pass the pie.

🦃 Ready to Burn the Bird?
Thanksgiving morning plans: handled.

Grab your crew, pick your distance, and join us in Fargo for the 2026 Burn the Bird 5K & 10K!

Register today. Run together. Give back. Burn the Bird. 🔥🦃