MVHS Cares Gobblepalooza 5k/10k Turkey Trot & Wellness Walk

🦃 Welcome to the MVHS Cares Gobblepalooza Turkey Trot & Wellness Walk!

• What: 18th Annual MVHS Cares Gobblepalooza Turkey Trot & Wellness Walk
• When:
  • Race Day = Saturday November 21, 2026 8:00-9:30am (the Saturday before Thanksgiving)
  • Pre-Race Packet Pick-up = Friday November 20, 2026 3-7pm
• Where: 
  • Entrance #4 (aka The Rock Entrance) Mount Vernon High School 8515 Old Mount Vernon Road Alexandria, VA 2230
  • Our VDoT-approved course starts at the Mount Vernon High School Entrance #4 and winds through the nearby neighborhoods.
  • 10K participants will start approximately 10 minutes before the 5K and complete two loops of the adjusted route through the main gate.
  • 5K participants will complete one loop of the race route. 
  • As our starting line becomes the finish line, turkey trotters will be greeted by our Gobblepalooza band and MVHS Cares volunteers giving out free fruit and water.
  • Rain or Shine Event

🎶 Event Highlights:
Gobblepalooza is all about wellness, service, community and music — bringing our entire community together for a fun & family-friendly morning!  Please share your family friendly song requests for our DJ using this form link Turkey Trot DJ Song Request Survey

Race Day Registrations cost $35 for the 5k and $45 for the 10k.  Please register ahead of time and get a discount.

💲 Special Discount:
FCPS students, faculty members, Federal employees, & our military families receive an additional $5 discount at checkout. Please confirm your discount at packet pick up with your related ID.

👟 Register today and invite your family, friends, and community to join the fun at this year’s Gobblepalooza Turkey Trot!

*Turkey Trot shirts can only be picked up at MVHS.  The school cannot ship the shirts to virtual participants, at this time.

MVHS Cares Fundraising Goals:

• MVHS Music Therapy program support
• MVHS service & leadership scholarships
• School-wide Education Initiatives
• School-wide Social Service & Wellness Initiatives
• After-School Club & Athletics Initiatives

Keep In Touch:

For updates on additional event news, event pics & vids, info on giveaways, prizes, & our MVHS Cares Scholarship please follow our Instagram @mvhs_cares

Race Route Details:

1. Start and End at the Mount Vernon High School Entrance #4 (38.727661, -77.091947).  
2. Follow along Route 235 from Battersea Lane
3. U-TURN on Rt 235 near the entrance to the parking lot of MV Estate (38.711861, -77.087268) and continue the opposite direction on Rt 235.
4. Turn RIGHT into the Wessynton community near the Cunningham Drive Water Station
5. Follow Cunningham Drive down the hill and make a LEFT onto Wessynton Way. (The bottom of Cunningham Dr dead ends at a cul-de-sac.  This is not part of the race route.)
6. Continue up Wessynton Way.
7. Turn RIGHT onto Rt 235 and continue on Battersea Lane back to the school.
8. 10k loops back around the median and return to Rt 235 for 2nd loop & 5k finishes back at the Starting Line.
9. After 9:30am, remaining participants on the race course will be ushered onto the sidewalks.

Road Closures = 11/21/2026 8:00am-9:30am

• Affected Roads = Battersea Ln, Rt 235, Cunningham Dr, Wessynton Way, & Woodland Lane
• Vehicles will be redirected to Rt. 623 via Surrey Dr,  Braddock Ave, or Maryland St
• Bus 152 will take an alternate route

Link to the Course Map & Road Closures