Cincinnati’s Thanksgiving Day Race Celebrates a 10K Three-Peat

For the third year in a row. Maximilian Hoffman was the top finisher in the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day 10K, held Thanksgiving morning with a start and finish at TQL Stadium in downtown Cincinnati

More than 11,000 runners and walkers registered for the Western & Southern 10K and the Chick-fil-A 5K in the 116th running of the iconic Thanksgiving Day event. 

Hoffman finished the downtown course in 32:15 to lead the men’s division in the 10K. Second was Ian Morgan in 33:25 and third was Mugisha Pomossene in 33:47. Hoffman also came in first in the 2024 and 2023 Thanksgiving Day events. 

“It’s such a cool race,” said Hoffman, a native of Wyoming, Ohio. “The crowd is awesome, this city rocks, it’s a super fun morning. I’ve been running this race since I was in high school, 12 years now, and it’s a tradition.”

In the women’s 10K, Brooke Wildermuth won in a time of 36:25. Second was Abby Sewell in 36:30 and third was Katie Hallahan, the event winner in 2024 and 2023, in 37:15. 

For Wildermuth, who came in second in the 2024 Flying Pig Marathon and won the Queen City Running 5K the year before, the Thanksgiving Day Race also is a tradition. She’s run it since high school, including last year, when she came in third while she was expecting. “I used to do this race with my parents and family growing up, it’s always such a blast, it’s a good way to start the holiday.”

In the Chick-fil-A 5K, Natnael Weldemichael came in first in the men’s division in a time of 15:12. Second was Josh Rossman in 16:05 and third was Evan Trapp in 16:08. On the women’s side, Katie Ruhlman was first with a time of 17:49. Ruhlman also won the Queen City Running 5K during the 2025 Flying Pig weekend. Second was Molly Deardorff in 19:14 and third was Kaitlin Kaszubski in 19:17. 

The 117th edition of the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race will be Thursday, November 26, 2026. For more information, visit www.thanksgivingdayrace.com.