On Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving Day, the sixth annual Giving Thanks run was held at the Liberty Community Center located at 1600 South Withers Road.
This event was to benefit Hillcrest Hope, a foundation that aids homeless people and families move from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing them with housing, food donation, clothing and other necessities.
Attendance was very wide ranging, from competitive and frequent long distance racers to families of casual joggers and walkers. The course, while not very scenic, would be very familiar to a Liberty native. The route starts at Community Center, then goes through Canterbury Park, turns on Park Lane and returns you back to the Community Center.
A group of eight Liberty High School cross country runners also competed in the race on the morning of Thanksgiving. Junior Max Martin finished first in both the 15 to 19 age group as well as overall in the race with a time of 17:20.
“To sum it up in one word, [it was] magical,” Martin said. “I really enjoyed being able to to run a race with my team again.”
This year’s race, like many before, was full of energy and excitement fun and competition. Hunter Kellgren, a Liberty North alumni, explains how much he enjoys the fun atmosphere of the event and the fact that so many families come together to race.
“My mom and dad run 5k’s and marathons all the time, so my brother and I usually just tag along especially since it gives us an excuse to eat more during Thanksgiving,” Kellgren said.
Young or old, the Giving Thanks run is a great experience for families to come together, be active, have fun and brace their stomachs for the grand meals ahead.