Runners navigate the Oxbow Trail Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021, during the Hermiston Athletic Club Turkey Trot in Hermiston.

HERMISTON — Before gobbling down Thanksgiving meals, around 80 people decided to begin Thursday, Nov. 25, with a run on Hermiston’s Oxbow Trail in the Turkey Day 5K.

After much preparation from organizers and volunteers, the runners lined for the 9 a.m. start, and 17 minutes later the winner cross the finish line.

“I feel tired, but great,” Samuel Wick said, still huffing and puffing from his victory.

A track and field athlete and cross-country runner in high school, he said he wanted to run this race to honor his old coach, Jacob Puzey, and fellow runner, Marissa Worstell, who died recently. He said he traveled back to Hermiston from New York City to help his sister, who just had her second daughter. Meanwhile, he was conditioning himself for future runs.

Getting himself back in shape was no small feat for Wick, who said he had come down with COVID-19 in February, in New York, at the end of the lockdown. This was before vaccines were available for him, and the disease had a lasting effect, he said.

He said he felt he was wheezing following his recovery from COVID-19. By winning this race, he proved to himself he still could be competitive, which made him glad, he said.

Wick and other runners had been checked in at the start of the race by employees of the Hermiston Athletic Club. Aspen Fiander, manager of the gym and event organizer, said it was the first year for this run. Based on the good turnout, she said it should return next year and many years to come.

Fiander, who said Thanksgiving Day running was her personal habit, said proceeds from this run would go to the Agape House in Hermiston. The Agape House is a food bank for people in need.

One of the people working alongside Fiander was Auri Miller, Hermiston Athletic Club assistant general manager. Taking a break from seeing to the needs of runners, she credited local sponsors for helping to make the Turkey Run a success. Four Seasons Paint Co. and Daily Fix Nutrition were a couple of the sponsors, she said.

After everyone else finished, and once any leftover mess was cleaned, she planned to also run, she said. It is a family tradition, she said, as she and her husband started running on Thanksgiving nine years ago and have been doing it ever since. This year, she planned to run with her daughter in a stroller.

She was smiling, but not the only happy person at the Turkey Run.

“It’s a fun day,” Miguel Moreno said.

A fitness specialist at the club, Moreno said he was glad to be gathering with other runners. He referred to his co-workers as his “other family,” and he expressed happiness that he was with them on the holiday.

Hermiston High School runner Alexia Serna was also at the event as a participant. Ahead of the run, she said she had recently run a 5K at a meet, and her time was under 20 minutes, which she expressed hope of matching.

Nov. 25 was her first time running on Thanksgiving, she said, and she planned to follow the race by eating a big meal. Mashed potatoes and ham were her favorite Thanksgiving foods, she said, which she admitted were too heavy for a pre-run meal.

Another HHS runner, Zach Turner was at the event. He was with his dad, Mike Turner. The high schooler said he started running in middle school and fell in love with it ever since. On Thanksgiving, then, he wanted to express his gratitude.

“I’m thankful that we get to come out here as a community,” the younger Turner said. “And I’m thankful to the organizers who put this on.”