A lot of our runners are from Huntersville. That makes sense: from Birkdale Village we're about 10 minutes away, and from the Gilead Road side of town it's about 13. The 20th Annual IDNutrition Lake Norman Half Marathon Turkey Trot 10K & 5K starts and finishes at Life Fellowship Church in Cornelius, right off I-77 Exit 28. You can be on the start line on Thanksgiving morning and back home before anyone's asking where the gravy boat went.
Our half marathon includes an out-and-back on the McDowell Creek Greenway, the paved greenway right here in north Mecklenburg that plenty of Huntersville runners already use for weekday miles. The rest of the course loops through Cornelius neighborhoods: two loops for the half, about 721 feet of climbing in total, all asphalt. The 10K and 5K use the same roads with fewer hills. See the course maps on the homepage.
So if you've been training on the greenway all fall, you've basically been previewing the course.
From the Birkdale Village area: take Sam Furr Rd (NC 73) to I-77 North, then exit at Exit 28 (Catawba Ave / Cornelius). Turn left onto Catawba Ave, left on Liverpool Pkwy, left on Chartwell Center Dr, and right on Chartown Dr. That's about 4.7 miles and about 10 minutes.
From the Gilead Rd area: get on I-77 North at Gilead Rd and take the same Exit 28 route. That's about 7 miles and about 13 minutes.
Open directions in Google Maps. Drive times are approximate, with no traffic.
Wednesday, Nov 25, 11 AM–3 PM at Life Fellowship Church, or race morning from 6:30 AM. From Huntersville you're close enough that race-morning pickup is no stress. Just leave time to park.
A rolling but fair course, cool weather (usually 30s or 40s at the start) and pie waiting at home. The course stays open until 11:15 AM, which gives you 3 hours 45 minutes. If you're on the fence between the 10K and the half, our pick-your-distance guide has a short plan for each.
It's in Cornelius, just north of Huntersville, at Life Fellowship Church, 20010 Chartown Dr. That's about 10 to 13 minutes from most of Huntersville via I-77 Exit 28.
Yes. The half marathon includes an out-and-back on the paved McDowell Creek Greenway.
Through Oct 31: 5K $40, 10K $50, half $70, virtual $59, plus the RunSignUp fee. Prices go up Nov 1 and again Nov 23.
Online registration for the in-person races runs until race morning, but prices go up after Oct 31 and again on Nov 23.
Yes, and volunteers can run for free. Sign up at https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/NC/cornelius/2021LakeNormanTurkeyTrot