The Schuylkill Navy Run — the rowing community's Turkey Trot — is a Thanksgiving Day tradition along the Schuylkill River, open to runners and walkers from across Philadelphia. The next run is on Thursday, November 26, 2026, starting at 9:00 a.m. from Malta Boat Club on Kelly Drive.
The course
The course is 5 and 5/8 miles over hilly terrain. From the start at Malta Boat Club, runners head outbound on Kelly Drive to Brewery Hill, up and over the Girard Avenue bridge, and onto Lansdowne Avenue. Past the Sweetbriar cutoff the race turns to its true cross-country segment over grass — to Meade Monument, along the fence to the Pagoda gate, through to Belmont Plateau, up the hill to Belmont Mansion, and back by way of Brewery Hill and Kelly Drive to Malta.
Who can run
Members of Schuylkill Navy clubs and their affiliates are eligible to compete. Affiliates include Whitemarsh Boat Club, the Sedgeley Club, Philadelphia Adaptive Rowing, Conshohocken Rowing Center, and Philadelphia City Rowing. Friends and family are welcome to run as guests.
Divisions
- Junior — high school students
- Masters — men and women 40 and over
- Open — all other eligible runners
- Guest — friends and family; prizes for the first guest man and woman
- Novice — first-time Turkey Trot runners
Prizes
One of the things that makes the Turkey Trot so memorable is the prizes. Each year the committee gathers dozens of prizes from the Philadelphia rowing community, and runners choose in the order they finish. Team trophies are scored by each club's first five men and first three women to finish.
