No matter the weather, the 37th Annual Feaster Five Road Race is set for Thanksgiving Day.
More than 7,000 runners and walkers will begin the race route, beginning at 8 a. m., at Shawsheen Square, 339 N. Main Street, Andover. It finishes in Brickstone Square. Following tradition, all runners receive a Table Talk Apple Pie at the finish line.
Proceeds from the race, presented by Schneider Electric, support Merrimack Valley Striders High School Scholarship Fund, Bellesini Academy, Merrimack Valley YMCA and the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund.
The Feaster Five kids’ race, which begins at 7:45 a.m., has been renamed Sidney’s Rainbow Run and features a special inclusive course division and two other courses to give young runners a more enhanced race experience. Rainbow Run participants receive a special rainbow-themed medal in memory of Sidney, who loved running the Feaster Five. She was hit and killed while in a crosswalk in May 2023 in Andover.
Sidney’s Rainbow Run at the Feaster Five Kids’ Race takes place at Balmoral Street track. Sidney’s parents, Eric Olson and Mary Beth Ellis, a world champion triathlete, will speak and lead a moment of silence
Starting line ceremonies begin at 8, followed by opening remarks and the National Anthem by Voices of Hope singers Mike Consoli, Greg Chastain, Ed Siegal, Rob Coughlan and Ryan Turner. The official race starter is inspirational athlete John Young, physically challenged triathlete, marathoner and Guinness World Record holder as the shortest person to complete an Ultra marathon.