Early Thanksgiving morning, green bean casserole dishes were popped into the oven, mashed potatoes were whipped and the excess pumpkin puree was dripping from the marbled pumpkin pie as it was placed into the oven, the aroma of Thanksgiving was present in the warm, inviting house.

Meanwhile, outside in the frigid morning temperatures, sophomore Camille Sides sprinted towards the finish line of the sixth annual Arlington Turkey Trot, breathing in the crisp air of a fall morning run, rather than preparing some classic dishes for Thanksgiving.

Even though Sides chose to spend her Thanksgiving morning running a race, she said the themes of Thanksgiving were still uniquely incorporated into the Turkey Trot.

“Well, it’s a good way to start off Thanksgiving because the proceeds go  to charity and it’s fun because lots of people stand out on their porches and cheer as you run by, so I think it was the perfect way to give back on the holiday,” Sides said.

Freshman Jimmy O’Hara said he enjoys the inclusion of Thanksgiving themes in Turkey Torts.

“A few years ago, they had a blow up turkey and they always have plenty of food for the runners afterwards,” O’Hara said.

Running in the Turkey Trots has been both Sides’ and O’Hara’s traditions for the holiday season. The both said they, love to run but especially love to run in the Thanksgiving-themed race.

“The Turkey Trot is definitely one of my favorite races to run in because it’s for a good cause and it’s something that I can do with my family. We kind of have a competition to see which one of us is the fastest and my goal is to beat all of them,” Sides said.

This year we sort of had a competition to see which one of us was the fastest so it was more intense. There was some trash-talking going on.

O’Hara said ‘Turkey Trot’ is the first thought which comes to his mind when he thinks of ‘Thanksgiving,’ and he enjoys them because they are an exciting way to start the day.

Despite the sweaty runners and the cold atmosphere, Sides and O’Hara both have a sense of pride when they run these unique races, which are themed with the thankfulness of Thanksgiving