The registration page for the Historic Bluffton 5K Turkey Chase puts it in one line: "No race day registrations available this year." A few miles away, the Palmetto Bluff Turkey Trot page says the same thing in capital letters.
Both races start on Thursday, November 26, and both close their doors before that morning. The decision that counts falls between now and Thanksgiving week, and the first deadline is this Saturday.
Your deadlines run backward from Thursday
Here are the dates in order, taken from each race's current registration listing:
- Saturday, October 31, 11:59 p.m. The price goes up for both adult 5K categories at the Palmetto Bluff Turkey Trot. The listing shows $35 for now.
- Sunday, November 15. This is the last day the Historic Bluffton 5K Turkey Chase guarantees a T-shirt and your size.
- Sunday, November 22, 11:59 p.m. Online registration closes for the Turkey Chase.
- Monday, November 23, 11:59 p.m. Registration closes for the Palmetto Bluff Kids Fun Run.
- Tuesday, November 24, 3 to 6 p.m. Early packet pickup for both races happens in the same three-hour window, at two different places.
- Wednesday, November 25, 3 to 6 p.m. This is the Turkey Chase's second pickup and the last chance to register, with a $5 late fee.
- Thursday, November 26. Race morning. You can't register on site at either race.
The Turkey Chase's online form closes on November 22, but the race still takes late registrations at both packet pickups for an extra $5. In practice, the last moment to enter is Wednesday evening at Belfair Wine & Spirits. Nobody gets in at the park on Thursday.
Two races, two different mornings
The races sit 75 minutes apart on the clock and in very different parts of town.
| Historic Bluffton 5K Turkey Chase | Palmetto Bluff Turkey Trot | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. Kids Fun Run, 9:15 a.m. 5K |
| Where | Oyster Factory Park, 63 Wharf Street | Wilson Village Green, 2 Village Park Square |
| Adult price on the listing | $35 | $35, increases after October 31 |
| Kids option | Not listed | Kids Fun Run, $20 |
| Awards | Top three overall men and women, medals for the first 900 finishers | Overall trophies, top three in each age division, top three dogs |
| Dogs and strollers | Not addressed on the page | Welcome |
| 2025 field | 800 timed finishers | 1,009 racers |
The table shows two mornings built for different groups. The Turkey Chase starts earlier on Wharf Street by the May River, and this year it gives prizes only to the top three overall men and women, with no age-group awards. The Palmetto Bluff race has a kids' run, a dog division and nine age brackets, which suits a family that wants everyone in the event, the dog included.
Old Town at 8:00, and the medal math
This year the Turkey Chase page marks one change as "NEW THIS YEAR." The first 900 finishers get a custom race medal, and only the top three overall male and female finishers win prizes. There are no age-group awards.
The 900 figure means more next to last year's turnout. The 2025 results, posted through Play Hard Event Timing, listed 800 as the final timed finisher. If this year's field is about that size, the medal cutoff sits above the whole finishing field. The page doesn't call 900 an entry cap, and it doesn't promise a medal past that number. This is the 17th annual edition, so the race is well established.
Three practical details shape the Old Town morning:
- Race-morning packets. If you're already registered, you can pick up your packet at the park from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. That leaves half an hour before the start.
- No weather refunds. The page says there are no refunds for weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
- Parking at the park is a boat landing first. The Town of Bluffton's Oyster Factory Park page allows vehicles only in designated areas. Event attendees may not use the boat and trailer spaces, and Wharf Street has to stay open for boat and public access to the May River. Beaufort County lists 20 parking spaces at the landing, which is a small number next to a field of several hundred runners.
The free Old Town shuttle the Town launched in June was a 12-week pilot that started June 18, with an Oyster Factory Park stop and a Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule. Those hours wouldn't cover an 8 a.m. start even if the service were still running. If you live within walking or biking distance of Wharf Street, that's the easier way to get there.
The 2025 Town calendar listed the park at 55 Wharf Street. This year's registration page gives 63 Wharf Street, so use that address in your map app.
Palmetto Bluff at 9:15. Trust the listing, not the paragraph.
The Palmetto Bluff page has a quirk worth knowing before you pay. Its structured event listing, the part with the sign-up buttons, shows $35 for both adult categories, a price increase after October 31, a $20 Kids Fun Run and a 9:15 a.m. 5K start.
The description farther down tells a different story. It gives a $25 kids fee, says the adult fee "drops to $25" after a T-shirt cutoff, and says the race starts at 9:00 a.m. Its deadlines are "Wednesday, November 12th" and "Monday, November 24th." In 2026, November 12 is a Thursday and November 24 is a Tuesday. Those weekday pairings match the 2025 calendar, so that paragraph looks like it was carried over from last year. The listing above it is the current version. If a few dollars or a T-shirt matters to you, confirm with Palmetto Running Company, which carries the race on its events calendar.
The rest of the description holds up. The race starts on Wilson Village Green in front of Buzz Coffee and runs through Palmetto Bluff. Every registrant gets a T-shirt, sizes not guaranteed, and dogs and strollers are welcome. The page also says 100% of proceeds go to a local nonprofit, though it doesn't name one. Last year's results on Webscorer show 1,009 racers, a bigger field than the 2025 Turkey Chase.
Registration has two adult options, "5K Run/Walk Public" and "5K Run/Walk Palmetto Bluff Resident," at the same price and start time. The page doesn't give gate, parking or shuttle instructions for public registrants. If you live outside the community, ask Palmetto Running Company how arrival works when you register, rather than waiting until Thanksgiving morning to find out.
Where Tuesday and Wednesday go
Packet pickup is where the two races overlap, and it falls on the busiest stretch of the holiday week for anyone hosting.
Tuesday, November 24, 3 to 6 p.m.
- Turkey Chase runners pick up, or register late, at Side Hustle Brewery.
- Palmetto Bluff runners pick up at the new Palmetto Running Company location, 25 Minetta Lane.
Wednesday, November 25
- Turkey Chase runners have a second window from 3 to 6 p.m. at Belfair Wine & Spirits.
- Palmetto Bluff residents only can pick up from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Chapel next to Wilson Village Green.
For a public registrant at the Palmetto Bluff race, the schedule gives one listed pickup slot before race day, Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. on Minetta Lane. Turkey Chase runners have more flexibility, with Tuesday, Wednesday and a race-morning window at the park. If your family is split between the two races, plan on someone driving to two pickup spots during the same Tuesday afternoon.
If houseguests arrive the weekend before and want to run, the Sunday, November 22 Turkey Chase cutoff and the Monday, November 23 Kids Fun Run cutoff matter more than any date on Thursday. For the Palmetto Bluff adult race, the current price holds through October 31.
If running through Palmetto Bluff on Thanksgiving morning has you wondering what living in a community like it involves day to day, I'm glad to walk you through it. Michael Sutcliffe works with buyers and sellers across Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, and you can schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
