Andover's Feaster Five Turkey Trot Goes Virtual

ANDOVER, MA — Is running the Feaster Five part of your annual Thanksgiving tradition? The Andover turkey trot will not take the same form as usual, this year, but that doesn't mean you need to give it up.

The 32-year-old event, the largest Thanksgiving day road race in Massachusetts, usually draws seven to ten thousand people to Route 28. This year, participants can run anywhere in the world.

And that's what they're doing, according to Race Manager Tom Licciardello. There are runners in 36 states and five countries — including five runners named Feaster in Alaska.

Participants can also run any day of the week, Nov. 23 to 29, not just on Thanksgiving.

"We've had a few years where the weather on Thanksgiving has been less than ideal," Licciardello noted.

The race managers made the decision to go virtual early, although at this point the decision would be out of their hands, due to the recent resurgence of the virus, Licciardello said. It's been challenging, planning a virtual event, but the team is excited, he said.

Numbers are likely to be down — a couple thousand runners — and that means less money that Feaster Five can donate to its four beneficiaries: The Bellesini Academy, The Merrimack Valley Y, the MVS high school scholarship fund and The Hoyt Foundation.

"We were hoping we would have 5,000 people enter," Licciardello said. "At that point we knew we'd be able to write big fat checks. It's going to be a lot skinnier, but our primary goal this year was to do something good for our loyal participants, do it in a safe way, and do something good for the community."

There are four events: the "Kid's K," a 5K, a 5 mile run, and the "Challenge," which combines the 5K and the 5-mile.

Participants will be able to download an app that tracks their run. They'll all receive swag: a bib, a buff and a medal. Challenge runners will get two medals. And every 10th finisher in the adult events will win a $20 gift certificate to Whirlaway Sports.

Registration is open until Nov. 29 at feasterfive.com. Licciardello thanked the event's presenting sponsor, Schneider Electric.

"Friends, family, fitness and fun, that's our little catchphrase," Licciardello said. "Especially this year, 2020 is a year that we need something that we can be thankful for."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.