In a race that goes not to the fleetest of foot but to the most precisely prescient, two well-trained running teams will square off on Thanksgiving Day for what promises to be a most unique competition.

Each year, Jack Scaff's Honolulu Marathon Clinic hosts the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, a 10-mile fun run that offers prizes of turkeys and pies to runners who can most accurately predict their finishing time.

This year, Scaff and long-time running and triathlon coach Brian Clarke have decided to spice up the event with a little side bet.

Both the marathon clinic and Clarke's marathon training program will field teams of 25 runners. Whichever team records the lowest cumulative difference between predicted time and actual finish time will win a round of oh-so-needed massages at next month's Honolulu Marathon.

Both teams will be comprised of a mix of novice and experienced runners, from 15-minute-per-mile runner-walkers to 4-hour marathoners.

And while the Team Challenge is all for fun, it hasn't escaped Clarke's notice that at least a few of his charges are feeling a little anxious about Turkey Day.

"There's a certain amount of trepidation," Clarke said. "They don't want the pressure of representing the whole training program."

The teams will exchange rosters Monday.

The unusual wager fits right in with the laid-back, all-for-giggles (or is that gobbles?) race. After all, the Turkey Trot has always been something of an odd bird in Hawai'i road race landscape.

The $3 registration fee (compared with the usual $15 to $20) covers expenses and nothing more.

The 10-mile distance, while a nice, round number, is an unusual length for a road race, being roughly two miles more than the Great Aloha Run and about three miles shy of a half-marathon.

Instead of microchip timing devices, runners are sent to the course armed only with a tongue depressor upon which they've scrawled their predicted finish time.

Most importantly, while other race results are prioritized according to how fast runners complete a course, the Trot rewards awareness of pace, a key characteristic of disciplined distance runners.

It's that distinction that makes the run a valuable training tool for runners of all levels and abilities.

Programs like those run by Scaff and Clarke stress the importance of disciplined pacing as a means of managing energy.

Many experienced marathoners will run at an easy, relaxed pace through the first half of the race to conserve energy for the grueling later stages.

Assuming they were consistent in their training, runners who follow a conservative game plan through the first 10 to 13 miles are often able to run the second half of the race faster than the first — what's known in the racing world as negative splits.

On the flip side, overzealous runners pumped up by weeks of energy-building tapering can squander months of smart training by running too fast during the cool, inviting early morning hours.

"The first 10 miles of a marathon are where the mistakes are made," says Honolulu Marathon Clinic volunteer coach Rosemary Kyte. "And, any mistake that you make early on you can't make up for later. If you push it too hard in the first few miles, you can't recover later by just slowing down. It doesn't help."

And that's where a run like the Turkey Trot can be useful.

The moderate (for marathoners) distance fits well with the clinic's strategy of slowly reducing mileage in the weeks preceding the race. It also allows marathoners to practice maintaining a conservative, even pace over 10 miles.

"We suggest to all our runners that they run the race just like they plan to run the first 10 miles of the marathon," Kyte said.

Of course, one needn't intend to do the marathon to participate in the Turkey Trot.

The run is a good opportunity for 5K and 10K runners to experiment with racing on a longer course.

For those who only do the Great Aloha Run, the Trot provides a similar opportunity to push their racing limits in a safe, low-pressure environment.

And while making time for a 10-mile run on Thanksgiving morning may seem like a hassle to some, for others there's no better — or more logical — way to prepare for the caloric onslaught the holiday promises.

"It's a great way to burn off a thousand calories before you sit down to dinner," Kyte said. "That way, you can really enjoy Thanksgiving."