Submitted photo A young participant taking part in a previous Barbour County Health Association Turkey Trot 5k Walk/Run is given a high-five as he crosses the finish line. The 14th annual Turkey Trot is scheduled for Saturday morning.

BELINGTON — More than 100 participants are expected to take part in the 14th annual Barbour County Health Association’s Turkey Trot 5k Walk/Run, scheduled for Saturday in downtown Belington.

The Turkey Trot will also feature a mile-long Fun Trot, which will begin and end at the Belington Wellness Center, for those wanting to participate in the yearly event.

Proceeds from the Turkey Trot will benefit Heart & Hand House and the Belington Presbyterian Church.

“Last year we had 90 pre-registered for the Turkey Trot and over 20 signed up the day of the event,” Kim Bolton, director of the Belington Wellness Center, told The Inter-Mountain. “We have 100 participants pre-registered who have already signed up for the race and I’m sure we will have many more the day of the event.”

Bolton said the event brings family and friends together each year, and noted all the money taken in goes to a good cause.

“We split all of the proceeds from the participants and our sponsors between the Belington Presbyterian Church and the Heart & Hand House,” Bolton said. “The church will feed over 400 people from that and throughout the year both facilities feed people all year around. The Turkey Trot is a lot of fun and it’s all for a great cause.”

Pre-race registration and warm-ups will be from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. The 5k Race will get underway at 9 a.m., and the Fun Trot is set to begin at 9:15 a.m. Awards will be handed out at the conclusion of the race.

“If you don’t feel up to taking part in the 5k, we have a mile Fun Trot that we do in Crab Bottom,” Bolton said. “It’s a real flat area and it’s only a 1-mile walk and we will have it painted off. The 5k goes out across Brown Avenue and out the Talbott Road. It will go down River Road where there will be a turning point where everyone turns around and comes back the same way.”

The Heart and Hand House Food Pantry is located in Philippi and its programs include the food pantry; home repair and construction program; assistance with utilities, rent and certain medical expenses; providing layettes for newborn babies; and a backpack feeding program for local school children.

For more information on the event, contact Bolton at 304-823-1800 or visit the Belington Wellness Center’s Facebook page.

A group of runners and walkers at a previous year’s Turkey Trot line up at the starting line in Belington.