ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Thousands of people woke up early on Thanksgiving Day to participate in the traditional turkey trot race in Atlantic Beach.
Organizers told News4JAX that around 5,300 people registered for the 11th Annual UF Health Jacksonville Turkey Trot 5K for Brain Injury Awareness, hosted by UF Health Jacksonville.
Thousands of people woke up early on Thanksgiving Day to participate in the traditional turkey trot race in Atlantic Beach. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)
“So many people come together for this. And I just think it’s a beautiful thing. And of course, we have Petesgiving afterward. And this is a community event all day long. And I believe it’s something that’s known not just around the beach, but like in Jacksonville, overall, this is iconic,” Jessica Reeves DeFranco said.
Thousands of people woke up early on Thanksgiving Day to participate in the traditional turkey trot race in Atlantic Beach. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)
The goal of the turkey trot is to advance lifesaving care during the early critical stages of the injury and support the holistic care of traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors in the community.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.
Marcela joined News4JAX in 2023. She grew up in Mexico and eventually moved to California to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. Now, she is a proud San Diego State University alumna who has many years of experience in TV and digital journalism.
Carlos Acevedo is a photojournalist at WJXT News4Jax and a University of North Florida graduate with a degree in Communications, concentrating in Digital Video Production. Since joining News4Jax in 2024, he has been responsible for shooting compelling news stories that capture and share important events with the community.
