The 21st annual Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot was held Thursday on a chilly Thanksgiving morning in downtown San Jose, with about 23,000 participants staying warm by taking part in the 5K and 10K races.Silicon Valley Turkey Trot runners prepare for the race on Thursday, November 27, 2025 in downtown San Jose, California (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)Silicon Valley Turkey Trot runners race in downtown San Jose, California on Thursday, November 27, 2025 (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
The event, sponsored by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation, is considered the nation’s largest timed Thanksgiving Day race and raised money for four grantees: HomeFirst, the Healthier Kids Foundation, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County.
Carl Guardino, founder of the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, watches runners before the race on Thursday, November 27, 2025 in downtown San Jose, California (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)Silicon Valley Turkey Trot runners race in downtown San Jose, California on Thursday, November 27, 2025 (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)Silicon Valley Turkey Trot runners pass a mural depicting the FIFA World Cup trophy in downtown San Jose, California, Thursday, November 27, 2025. Six FIFA World Cup matches will be played at Levi’s Stadium next year. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area Newsgroup)Gabriel Gonzalez, dressed as a cowboy on a donkey, won the non-holiday themed category of the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot costume contest on Thursday, November 27, 2025 in downtown San Jose, California (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Among the VIPs attending the race were U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Santa Clara County Supervisors Otto Lee and Betty Duong, Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and Carl Guardino, vice president of Tarana Wireless, who co-founded the race in 2005 with his wife Leslee.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan speaks before the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot on Thursday, November 27, 2025 in downtown San Jose, California (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)Debbie Clima, left, and her daughter, Olivia Clima, dressed as a cheeseburger and fries for the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot costume contest on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in downtown San Jose, California (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)Scarlet Rose, dressed as a turkey gobbler race car, chats with another Silicon Valley Turkey Trot costume participant in downtown San Jose, California on Thursday, November 27, 2025 (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-California, speaks before the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in downtown San Jose, California (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)Silicon Valley Turkey Trot runners race in downtown San Jose, California on Thursday, November 27, 2025 (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
