We did the SOME one miler with our 5 year old last Thanksgiving. We ran/jogged/walk intermittently, which is what most families do that run it with kids. No pressure, very fun. We did no training and instead decided to make it a part of our Thanksgiving holiday tradition and recognize it as a way to raise money and awareness for hunger issues, not make it about racing or winning.

My 4.5 year did a 1 mile run in August. His biggest problem was pacing. He ran super fast and was then worn out and needed encouragement to keep going. Training is probably not a bad idea just to get her used to the idea of not going all out at the start.

Our son did his first 1 mile at about that age. I don't know what the course is like at your race but at ours it was easy to bail at any point so we just went out and figured if it was too much we would just leave the course. If he is an active kid and, as the other posters said, can do some runs in the neighborhood with no problem, I would say give it a try with no expectations. If it is a really cold day, though, you might want to make sure you have a way for him to stay warm enough while you wait for the race to start. The long wait before the race can be the worst part. Try hand warmers or layers for him that you carry on your back for the race part.

My just-turned 4 year old has done several 1k fun runs. A mile is quite a bit further, but an enthusiastic 4 yo could probably handle it. Consider having him do some "training" in advance. We jog around the block a couple times a week to "train", and my DD loves it.

We don't do a turkey trot but do the gingerbread man run the day after thanksgiving. It's also a mile and the kids get a fun shirt a the gingerbread man design.

Has anyone done the SOME Turkey Trot Fun Run (1 mile) with their kids? I am doing the 5k and my 4 year old is interested in the 1 mile. Is it realistic to think that he can run this and have fun (if I run with him, of course).