BREWER – The Sunday before Thanksgiving can only mean one thing in this city: Runners of all abilities turn off football games and head to Brewer High School for the Turkey Trot 5K.

The 22nd annual road race, sponsored by the Brewer High sophomore class, kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Sunday with a 1-mile fun run. The 5-kilometer main event starts at 1 p.m.

The fast, out-and-back South Brewer course starts near Brewer High, runs down Parkway South, turns around at the corner of Brewer and Elm streets and heads back up Parkway South to the finish at the high school.

Winners last year were current Florida State University and former Brewer star Heather Clark and Judson Cake of Bar Harbor. A total of 426 runners finished the 5K last year, while 70 finished the mile run.

The race concludes the Sub-5 Race Series, with Michael Bunker and Rosalea Kimball holding leads.

Race director Dave Jeffrey said numbers are “down a bit registration-wise, but the T-shirts are gone.”

The first 300 runners to register receive a T-shirt.

One thing that keeps runners coming back is the prizes and drawings, according to Jeffrey. They include a “turkey drawing” that consisted of a $585 prize last year.

“It’s a community thing and a fun race,” Jeffrey said.

Not everyone comes for just the prizes, however.

“The runners involved in the [Sub 5] series need this race points-wise,” said Jeffrey.

Kimball holds a one-point edge over Cassie Hintz of Old Town.

The mile run also has been popular.

“The kids’ race has really grown,” said Jeffrey. The mile has about 70 pre-registrants.

Jeffrey, who advises the sophomore class, says the race helps them prepare for the real world

“It helps them develop skills in dealing with the community, and work on earning money for graduation,” he said.

The weather is forecast to be much nicer than last year’s brutal, wind-whipped race.

Runners are advised to show up early, as the I-395 Exit 5 on and off-ramps will close around noon.

“The best way to get here is through Hannaford,” Jeffrey said. That grocery store is located behind the high school, and runners can find plenty of parking space there.