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Registration is open for 35th annual Feaster Five Road Race, a Thanksgiving Day tradition that annually attracts thousands of runners and walkers of all levels.
The race is presented by Schneider Electric and hosted by the Merrimack Valley Striders running club. It offers a 5K or five-mile route option, with all finishers receiving a Table Talk Apple Pie.
After going virtual in 2020, the Feaster Five came back in 2021 with a sellout event of 6,600 walkers and runners. Early registration starts at just $35 for the month of July and includes a guarantee to receive the high quality, long-sleeved race t-shirt.
“In the past 34 years we’ve faced many headwinds, from the Thanksgiving Day blizzard of 1989 to managing the pandemic restrictions, but we have continued to bounce back and build a better event year after year. We sold out in 2021, and we expect an even bigger turnout this year,” said Tom Licciardello, chair of the race organizing committee.
The 35th annual Feaster Five Road Race takes place Nov. 24, in downtown Andover, with a three-day race expo beginning Nov. 21 at the Merrimack Valley YMCA. Proceeds support Merrimack Valley Striders’ High School Scholarship Fund, Merrimack Valley YMCA, Bellesini Academy of Lawrence and Groundwork Lawrence. To date, $200,000 in high school scholarships have been awarded to graduating seniors from all over the Merrimack Valley.
The Feaster Five kids’ K fun run attracts hundreds of youth participants to run the track at Balmoral Park before the official 5K/5M race start.
The Feaster Five is managed is led by race director Dave McGillivray, who also serves as race director for the Boston Marathon. He said “It is more than a road race. It is a reunion of sorts – being with family and seeing friends you may not have seen for years. There is nothing like it on the road race calendar. It’s one of my most favorite events.”
Details and registration at feasterfive.com.