This year, Thanksgiving Day will be a busy one for the Smith Wellness Center. On Thursday, Nov. 27, Thanksgiving morning, the Wellness Center will host a 5K Turkey Trot. The trot will occur regardless of the weather.

“One of our members recently approached us wanting to know if we had ever thought of having a 5K Turkey Trot,” said Deb Rodgers Knight. “Instead of thinking ‘why should we?’, we started thinking, ‘why not’?”

It will be a way families can come out for a morning jog before the Thanksgiving festivities begin.

“The route will be the same as the 5K section of our Sprint Tri-athlon,” said Angie Roethler, aquatics facilitator.

The route starts at the Soper Park bathhouse, proceeds along Lakeshore Drive, out North Huron, turns around and returns. There is no pre-registration. Participants should arrive between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. with the race starting at 8:30 a.m.

“There is a fee and we will have prizes for the first male and female across the finish line,” Roethler said.

Prizes are turkeys with a pumpkin pie awarded for the best costume.

In addition to the Turkey Trot, the Wellness Center will again, be open Thanksgiving Day from 1 to 4 p.m.

“Bring the family on out and work off, or swim off, some of that turkey,” Knight said.