Registration Open for Thanksgiving Day 5K in Palm Desert, Thousands Expected

Runners, get ready!  It's time to burn some of those Turkey Day calories-- and help out a great cause in the process.

The sixth annual Martha's Village & Kitchen 5K walk/run will once again fall on Thanksgiving.  This year, that is next Thursday, Nov. 22.

Last year, approximately 1,600 people participated in the family-friendly event and helped raise $220,000 for the local charity that provides services to the homeless and impoverished in the Coachella Valley, according to Martha's Village & Kitchen Online Communications Manager Bob Therieau.

This year-- they want to top that number and raise $300,000, and are "confident" they'll be able to do just that through increased participation, Therieau told Palm Desert Patch.

“The neediest people in the Valley rely on food baskets and hot meals from Martha’s to make it to the end of the month and feed their families,” says John Wolohan, Director of Operations at Martha’s Village. “Martha’s relies on donations from the public to keep its pantries full, so we need a big turnout this year.”

Children in strollers and dogs on leashes are also welcomed to attend the event which will be held on El Paseo, organizers tell Patch.

Registration fees are $24 for 6-12 year-olds, and $39 for those older than 13.

To check out the course, click on the .pdf attached to this article above.

If you'd like to pre-register for the event, you can do so online by clicking here.

Or, you can also register on-site at the amphitheater in the center of The Gardens, between El Paseo and Shadow Mountain Road, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. on the day of the event, according to organizers.

New this year is in-person pre-registration at the New Balance Store on El Paseo Drive in Palm Desert on Saturday, November 17 and Wednesday, November 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.