BREWER – At the Turkey Trot 5K, Dave Jeffrey and the Brewer High sophomores who help him stage the popular road race have developed a successful race by keeping one goal in mind.

“We’ve done a pretty good job of meeting the needs of the runner,” Jeffrey said earlier this week.

That comment may not make sense to those who haven’t headed to Brewer for a pre-Thanksgiving 3.1-mile jaunt over the past 19 runnings of the race.

Here’s what it means: Turkey. Prizes. And money (Along with plenty of food, drink, and a race course that is both challenging and fast).

This year’s Turkey Trot begins at 1 p.m. at Brewer High School, and an increasingly popular 1-mile kids run is set for anyone 13 and under beginning at 12:30.

Registration tables open at 10:30 a.m., and the entry fees are $10 for the 5K and $6 for the kids race.

Jeffrey said there will be few changes this year – a new 70-and-over age group has been formed to meet the demand of a growing older group of runners – and all of the things that have made the race popular are back.

Among those:

. Turkeys. The race doesn’t get its name just because it’s traditionally run the Sunday before Thanksgiving; it earns its moniker by putting plenty of food on holiday dinner tables.

“We’ll give out 50 turkeys [to division winners],” Jeffrey said.

. Prizes. A Turkey Trot staple has been the disbursal of random-draw prizes to runners while they wait for the results to be tabulated. Area businesses have been generous in the past, and continue to donate to the prize pool, Jeffrey said, pointing out that more than 300 items are up for grabs this year.

The sheer number of prizes presents another challenge to Jeffrey as he groups prizes together to make “prize packages” instead of offering 300 different small drawings.

“I end up combining things together and trying to get [the total] as close to 120 as I can,” Jeffrey said. “I figure I can give away one [prize] every 30 seconds, and I don’t want to be in there any more than an hour.”

. And money. Another Turkey Trot tradition calls for one lucky entrant to receive a specially stuffed turkey – a dollar is taken from each entry fee to make up the “stuffing.”

“Last year we had $524 in the grand prize drawing,” Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey said the event is a major undertaking that the running community – and others – have embraced.

“Yes, we make money for the sophomore class, but we do it in a way that meets the runners’ needs,” Jeffrey said. “We’re not out there trying to grab money from them. We’re just trying to put on a really professional race, and I think we’ve done that.”