For many families, Thanksgiving morning begins with traditions: coffee brewing, food in the oven, family arriving, and maybe a few miles on the road before the feast begins.
At Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA), the Turkey Trot adds something even more meaningful to that tradition: remembrance.
The annual SDIA Turkey Trot brings together runners, walkers, families, veterans, first responders, community members, and supporters to move with purpose while honoring the men and women who dedicated their lives to serving others.
And behind every mile is a name worth remembering.
More Than a Turkey Trot
Plenty of reasons to lace up your shoes on Thanksgiving morning. You might be chasing a personal best, making room for another slice of pie, starting a new family tradition, or simply convincing yourself that a brisk morning walk counts as preparation for the mashed potatoes waiting later.
At the SDIA Turkey Trot, however, every participant can be part of something bigger.
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance exists to engage, assist, and empower our nation’s military members, veterans, and first responders to #GetOffTheCouch® and live their best lives.
The Turkey Trot carries that mission forward by creating a community experience centered on gratitude, service, connection, and remembrance.
It is an opportunity to celebrate those who continue to serve while ensuring we never forget those we have lost.
Nominate a Fallen Hero to Be Honored
Each Fallen Hero represents far more than a uniform, badge, title, or branch of service.
They were parents. Spouses. Children. Siblings. Friends. Partners. Coworkers. Teammates. Leaders.
They made people laugh. They had favorite songs and terrible jokes. They had plans for the future. They left fingerprints on the lives around them.
Their stories deserve to continue.
That is why SDIA invites our community to nominate Fallen Heroes for recognition through the Turkey Trot.
If there is a fallen military member, veteran, law enforcement officer, firefighter, EMS professional, or other first responder whose life and service should be remembered, we encourage you to submit their name and story.
A nomination is more than filling out a form.
It is saying:
- This person lived.
- This person served.
- This person mattered.
- And we remember.
Who Can Be Nominated as a Fallen Hero?
Fallen Hero nominations help SDIA recognize members of the military and first responder communities who are no longer with us and whose service, sacrifice, and legacy continue to impact the people they left behind.
When submitting a nomination, share as much of their story as you can. Their service matters, but so does the person behind it.
Tell us who they were.
Tell us what made them them.
Tell us what you want people to remember when they hear their name.
Because remembrance becomes especially powerful when a name becomes a story.
Run, Walk, Remember
You do not have to be an experienced runner to participate in the SDIA Turkey Trot.
Run it.
Walk it.
Bring the family.
Gather your friends.
Form a team.
Come because Thanksgiving pie tastes particularly victorious after a few miles.
But most importantly, come ready to remember.
For families who have lost someone who served, seeing their loved one’s name carried forward can mean more than most of us realize. It reminds us that while their person may no longer be physically present, their service and impact have not disappeared.
Their story is still moving.
Sometimes quite literally, one pair of running shoes at a time.
Make Gratitude an Action This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving asks us to consider what we’re grateful for.
The SDIA Turkey Trot gives us an opportunity to do something with that gratitude.
We can show up.
We can move.
We can speak someone’s name.
We can learn someone’s story.
We can support the military members, veterans, first responders, and families who continue carrying the weight of service and sacrifice.
And together, we can make sure our Fallen Heroes aren’t reduced to names carved into stone, printed on memorials, or tucked away in family photo albums.
We can carry them forward.
Nominate a Fallen Hero and Join Us
Fallen Hero nominations are now open.
If someone’s life, service, and legacy deserve to be honored through the SDIA Turkey Trot, we invite you to submit their story.
Then join us for the Turkey Trot and help turn Thanksgiving morning into something bigger than a race.
Register for the SDIA Turkey Trot.
Invite your family and friends.
Run or walk in remembrance.
Because gratitude is powerful.
But gratitude put into motion?
That’s impact.
About Sheep Dog Impact Assistance
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging, assisting, and empowering our nation’s military members, veterans, and first responders to #GetOffTheCouch® and live their best lives.
Through programs including Outdoor Adventures, Warrior PATHH, and Continued Service/Disaster Response Missions, SDIA provides opportunities for connection, healing, renewed purpose, and posttraumatic growth.
This Thanksgiving, join us as we move with purpose, honor service, and remember our Fallen Heroes.
