Thanksgiving Morning Pie Run Heating Up

Any way you slice it, the NewportFed Annual "Pie Run" this Thanksgiving morning promises to be another treat this year.

For starters, when many people are waking early Thursday to thaw turkeys, peel potatoes and set pies on cooling racks, more than 1,200 entrants will be dropping off a canned good or non-perishable food item for the area's needy, then lining up for the annual Thanksgiving Day 5-mile race or 3-mile non-competitive run/walk through Middletown's scenic roadways.

Secondly, entrants are treated to a panoramic, beautiful course heavy on ocean vistas as they round Purgatory Road and descend downhill to Sachuest Point for a good portion of the course. Plus, they get to preemptively kick-start their metabolism on a day where high calories and sugary desserts are the norm—all while helping out a good cause.

Organized by the Newport Running Club,  the 25th annual event offers a competitive 5-mile U.S.A. Track & Field (USATF) sanctioned road race as well as a 3-mile non-competitive walk.

Both start and end in front of the , located at 792 Valley Road.

The race sets off promptly at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Last year more than 1,200 entrants took part, with top finisher Frank Carrigan coming in at 25:30 with a 5:06 minute per mile pace. Runners and walkers alike enjoy a course that brings them down to Sachuest Point, breezing by Second Beach and the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge.

In addition to entrants' food donations, non-competitors are also invited to dropped off non-perishable food donations between 8:30 and 11 a.m.

Number pickup and post-registration will take place at the at the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, Nov. 24, 4 to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 25, 7:15 to 8:15 a.m.

The entry fee is $20 for both pre-registration and regular registration. Anyone who registered before Nov. 13 will get a long sleeve t-shirt. For more information, visit the Newport Running Club website here.