Custom Turkey Trot Shirts for Redding Race Organizers
If you're organizing a Thanksgiving fun run, custom Turkey Trot shirts are the piece of race-day swag your runners actually keep — and late October is when they need to be ordered. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. Working back from packet pickup, the art should be locked by the end of this month. Here's how race directors, booster clubs, and school groups around Redding and Shasta County get it done without a last-minute scramble.
The timeline that works
- This week: finalize the design, including sponsor logos. Sponsor art is almost always the holdup — get high-resolution files now, not the week before.
- By early November: approve your free digital proof and send final quantities.
- Two weeks of production: printing, folding, and boxing by size.
- Mid-November: shirts in hand, a few days ahead of packet pickup.
Miss early November and you're paying for rush or handing out shirts after the race — which nobody wants.
How many shirts to order
Start with last year's registration count, or your realistic goal if this is year one. Then:
- Add 10–15% for race-day registrations. Turkey Trots get a lot of walk-ups, especially families who decide the night before.
- Include youth sizes. Thanksgiving runs are family events. Plan on 15–25% youth sizes unless you have registration data saying otherwise.
- Skew adult sizes toward M, L, and XL, with a smaller run of 2XL and up. If you collect sizes at registration, close that field about two and a half weeks before the race so you can order off real numbers.
Screen printing has a 12 piece minimum per design, so small community runs qualify easily. Bigger runs earn better price breaks per shirt. More on how quantity affects price in our bulk order playbook.
Design choices that keep costs sane
Colors drive the price. Every ink color in screen printing is its own screen, so a sharp two-color turkey design costs less than a five-color illustration and usually looks better from across a parking lot.
Put sponsors on the back. One color on the back, with logos in a clean grid, keeps sponsors happy without adding screens. If you'd like the logos in full color, budget for it up front.
Think about the weather. Thanksgiving mornings in the north state are cold. Long-sleeve tees or a lightweight performance blend get worn on the run and through the winter, which means more mileage for your sponsors. If your budget allows, offer a hoodie upgrade at registration — those sell.
Volunteers need their own shirt. Same design, different color — bright orange or safety green — so runners can spot course marshals and water-station helpers easily.
Make next year easier
Use a design that drops the year in as a small detail rather than building it into the art. Better yet: your artwork stays on file, and exact reorders are never charged set-up fees. If the design stays the same next November, you skip that cost entirely. Want more ideas for shirts that people buy and wear? See our fundraiser tee tips.
Ready to get your race shirts started?
Send us your logo, sponsor list, and a rough headcount, and we'll get a free proof back to you fast so your shirts are boxed and ready before packet pickup. Request your Turkey Trot shirt quote.