The sun was cresting over the horizon by the Old Mill District on Thanksgiving morning as hundreds of people bounced, bobbed and blundered to get warm in the 23-degree weather.

Most of those people were sporting bright-colored beanies with ‘I Like Pie’ emblazoned on the front, lining up for the 7:30 a.m. start of the Cascade Relays Foundation and FootZone’s annual Thanksgiving walk/run. Many of the families, complete with more than a few canines ready for a brisk morning adventure, were set to either run or walk two loops of 2.5-miles or a 1.5-mile walk.

Jogging in place to get warm near the start line was the Vandomelen family. This is the third year Brad and Kristen have run the event with their two daughters, who are now in 4th and 6th grade. When asked why they liked the event, Brad said: “Uhhh … pie!”

Everyone who registers for the I Like Pie Run/Walk is rewarded at the end of the race with a slice of pie. Every year, organizers purchase hundreds of pies to feed the more than 3,500 participants who picked up their packets the day before the race. Add in same-day registration, event organizer Scott Douglass said he thinks the event will bring in significant funds for the Boys and Girls Club of Bend.

“Last year we raised $34,000 and our goal this year was $40,000. We’ll absolutely hit that this year,” Douglass said.

Douglass said Thanksgiving is the most popular day for running in the United States, bringing out thousands of people across the country who want to get their bodies moving before sitting around and eating all day.

“This is a day where people want to be able to get out and get some fitness, go walk or get in a run before they sit around all day and eat lots of heavy cream and butter and sugar, right?,” Douglass said. “But it’s also a great opportunity. It’s an event that brings together grandparents and aunts and uncles and kids because everyone is together as a family.”

Gigi and Dan Brubeck from Redmond were there bright and early with their Bend daughter Erica Fitch, ready to get in some exercise before heading to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Downtown Bend. This is their first year participating in the event and Fitch was excited for her very first turkey trot.

“I’ve always wanted to do one of these things, but it’s hard to miss the parade. It’s nice that it starts a little bit earlier,” Fitch said.

The giving aspect of the day, which funnells tens of thousands of dollars to an organization whose mission is to inspire and empower the children of Bend to reach their full potential, also encourages people to join the annual event, according to Alice Ivie, vice president of development for the Boys and Girls Club.

“If they know it’s going to a great cause that’s supporting local youth, I think that helps push them out the door on cold mornings to know that they’re doing something that circles right back into our Bend and Central Oregon communities,” said Ivie.

The first people arrived about 8 a.m. for their celebratory piece of pie at the finish line. Eating then began in earnest.