"Road work ahead!" That line comes from the City of Sparks, written in the voice of Sir Stuffy, the Turkey Trot mascot. It explains why the 28th Scheels Turkey Trot will again skip its 10K and use only "our classic 2-mile loop around the Marina." The reason is the Sparks Boulevard widening. Crews are adding a lane in each direction between I-80 and Baring Boulevard, and in June KOLO reported that the work would continue into 2027.
The road project explains one change, but the bigger pattern this fall is that four separate events will use the same paved path around Sparks Marina within about seven weeks. One runs for 48 hours straight. Two are morning charity walks. The last one, on Thanksgiving, is a single lap. Each uses the loop in its own way, and if you walk, run or bring a dog here, it helps to know which weekends those are.
One loop, two measurements
Nevada Trail Finder lists the marina path as a two-mile paved, accessible trail for walking and biking. The Biggest Little Ultra measures it more precisely: 1.89 miles with 29 feet of total elevation gain. The race also warns runners that "your watch may show a different distance."
The gap matters for race scoring but not much for an evening walk. It also explains how the two kinds of events use the path. The Turkey Trot treats the loop as a single round trip. The ultra treats it as a track to circle for as long as each runner's time limit allows.
October 9 to 11: the loop runs around the clock
The second annual Sparks Biggest Little Ultra runs from 9 a.m. Friday, October 9, to 9 a.m. Sunday, October 11, starting from 300 Howard Drive. Runners choose a time limit of 3, 6, 12, 24 or 48 hours, or a fixed distance of 50 or 100 miles. The course is paved and lighted, so the race requires no headlamps. That also means runners will be on the path through both nights.
Here's how the weekend unfolds:
- Friday, 7 a.m. Racers' support crews can start setting up their own aid stations anywhere along the course.
- Friday, 9 a.m. Every race starts at once: the 3-, 6-, 12-, 24- and 48-hour events plus the 50- and 100-mile distances.
- Saturday, 9 a.m. A second set of 3-, 6-, 12- and 24-hour races starts, along with a 6-hour relay for teams of up to six people.
- Saturday, 3 p.m. The relay finishes, followed by live music from the band Legacy. Organizers ask people to bring their own chairs and drinks and stay for the awards.
- Sunday, 9 a.m. The 48-hour, 50-mile and 100-mile races end.
The organizers welcome costumes for relay teams. The team with the best costume gets $10 Starbucks gift cards, chosen by the race director. The race director is Todd Leigh. The race will also make a contribution to Liberty Dogs, a nonprofit that trains service dogs for veterans with disabilities.
What changes at the park that weekend
The most visible change is in the parking lots. Organizers divide the marina lots into lettered areas:
- Areas A and C stay open to regular cars, for both the public and race participants.
- Areas B and D are roped off for race RVs with advance reservations.
- Area E, right next to the course, holds racers' aid stations, chairs and tables.
Expect tents and canopies on the grass near the start line. Under rules from the Sparks Police Department, racers can put up a small tent or pop-up if they request one when they register. Each approved tent gets a reflective card so officers can tell it's allowed. Racers have to weigh tents down with sandbags or weights. Stakes aren't allowed because they could break the irrigation pipes under the lawn. RVs that don't get a spot on site are directed to Sparks Marina RV Park at 1200 E. Lincoln Way.
Restroom hours are listed in the race's 2026 logistics guide. The north restroom stays open for all 48 hours. The south restroom is open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day, and three portable toilets near the start and finish run 24 hours. If you walk the loop in the evening, plan around the north restroom after 7:30 p.m.
Organizers haven't published anything about closing the path to the public or limiting who else can use it. If you want a quieter walk that weekend, check with the City of Sparks before you go.
What last year's race looked like
The first race, in October 2025, gives an idea of the scale. Across the six solo races, the UltraSignup results list 82 finishers. That total counts finishers only, not everyone who entered. Kyle Vonderwerth won the 100-mile race in 23:06, and Jenny Weaver finished first among women in 24:58. In the 48-hour race, Marc Sanderson covered 182.9 miles, which works out to close to 97 trips around a 1.89-mile loop. In late July, organizers reported more than 60 people registered for 2026, which is an early count rather than a final one.
October 17 and November 8: two morning events
After the ultra, the next two events take up a morning each.
On Saturday, October 17, the Alzheimer's Association holds its 2026 Northern Nevada Walk to End Alzheimer's at Sparks Marina. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., the opening ceremony is at 10 a.m., and the walk starts at 10:30 a.m. KOLO covered the walk's return in September. If your Saturday routine is a coffee and a lap, expect the path to be busiest from late morning on.
On Sunday, November 8, the Lizzy Hammond Foundation holds its 8th Annual Fun Run/Timed 5K/Walk at the marina from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The foundation's description lists a costume contest, music, food trucks, vendors and activities for kids. A 5K is about a mile longer than one lap, so this course goes beyond a single trip around the water. With vendors set up for four hours, it's the fall event most likely to bring a crowd to the lawn as well as the path.
Thanksgiving: the race the road project shortened
The Scheels Turkey Trot starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 26, from the Marina Park Pavilion at 800 Nichols Blvd. It's one clockwise, untimed lap around the marina. The City of Sparks event page lists the same date and time.
The organizers' description says the 10K is "taking another coffee break this year," which means this is not the first year the race has been cut back. With the widening still underway, the event is down to the marina loop, and the city is leaning into it. This year's theme is the "job site," with a prize for the most over-the-top construction outfit, from hard hats and safety vests to caution tape. The page jokes that real traffic cones are maybe not a good idea.
The organizers suggest an easy fix for runners who miss the longer distance: keep going for another lap or two. Jogging strollers are welcome. Dogs are not allowed on the course, except registered and licensed service dogs. If you usually walk your dog on Thanksgiving morning, plan to go after the race. There will be open parking at the marina, plus more next to Western Village along the path. Shirt pickup and registration during race week run November 23 to 25, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Scheels.
Before and after the lap
The nearby coffee and food spots work as well for race days as for ordinary walks. LightHouse Coffee is at 325 Harbour Cove Drive, Suite 121. It's open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Those hours cover the early start of the Alzheimer's walk on October 17. On Sunday, October 11, when the ultra ends at 9 a.m., the shop will already have been open for two hours.
For dinner after the Saturday relay and music, the newest option at the Outlets at Legends is Yard House at 1160 Scheels Drive. Reno News & Review reported that it opened August 31, 2026. Nearby on Scheels Drive are Grimaldi's Pizzeria at 1180 Scheels Drive, 7 Spices for Indian food at 1180 Scheels Drive, Suite B-115, and Great Full Gardens, a full-service restaurant at 1330 Scheels Drive.
The dog park at 300 Howard Drive is on Washoe County's list of designated off-leash areas. Under county rules, dogs must be on a leash coming and going, and owners must clean up after them and keep them licensed and vaccinated. On a weekend with 48-hour runners passing the start line around the clock, that leash rule matters most on the walk between your car and the gate.
Knowing which weekends are booked is part of using a place well, whether that means sitting in a chair near the start line at 2 a.m. or picking a different morning for the dog. If you're thinking about what's around the marina from the other side, as a homeowner who might sell or a buyer who wants this loop nearby, Patty DuHamel knows Sparks down to the street and is happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.