Burn calories, not your turkey" is the theme of the 33rd annual Turkey Bowl to be held on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, at Tel Hai Camp & Retreat in Honey Brook. The event will feature a 5K cross-country race that will take participants through the camp and around the lake. The event will also include a 1-mile children's fun run.

This year's event will begin with registration and race packet pickup from 7:45 to 9:20 a.m. in the camp's dining hall. The fun run, which is open to children age 12 and under, will begin at 9:10 a.m. Parents may run alongside their child in the fun run at no charge. The 5K race will follow at 9:40 a.m.

"We are using Second Wind Race Timing for our chip timing for our races again this year," explained Bruce Gregory, Tel Hai Camp program director. "We continue to offer online registration, which can be accessed from the Turkey Bowl page of our website, as well as mail-in registration forms. Online registration will be open until the end of check-in on race day. Participants will need to register online before (they) arrive or when (they) arrive using (their) cell phones."

Gregory said the event was well-attended last year. "Last year, we had 652 total participants, up quite a bit from the last two years," he noted. "We had 493 finishers in the 5K race and 111 finishers in the 1-mile children's fun run."

The 5K is a 3.1-mile race that will cover a mixture of paved, gravel and grassy paths, including some hills. The kids' fun run will stay on the main campus.

Children who complete the fun run will receive a finisher's medal. First-place trophies will be awarded to the overall female and male runners of the 5K, and medals will be given to the top three finishers in various age groups.

Gregory reported that the top overall times for the 2023 5K course were 17 minutes and 37 seconds for males and 20:53 for females.

Gregory said the race has become a popular Thanksgiving Day tradition in the area. Both local runners and out-of-town visitors for the holiday participate in the event. "Besides the Honey Brook areas, I know we have runners from the Downingtown area, the Gap and Oxford areas and the New Holland area," he stated, adding, "We are sponsored by over 15 local businesses and individuals who are listed on the Turkey Bowl page of our website."

Proceeds from the event are used to benefit Tel Hai Camp & Retreat, a nonprofit Christian camp located on a 150-acre facility. The camp is a long-standing member of the Christian Camp & Conference Association.

The camp includes a gymnasium, a miniature golf course, a gaga court, an archery range and rifle range, a swimming pool, a climbing wall and a challenge course, which includes a giant swing and zip line.

The camp also offers banquet and luncheon facilities and offers retreat programs for churches, Christian schools and other related organizations.

Special events include a Mother & Daughter Spring Getaway offered in May and a Dad & Lad Camp offered in June.

Tel Hai Camp & Retreat also offers events that are open to the community, including regularly scheduled spaghetti and lasagna dinners and a spring vendor and craft fair. Information about the activities can be found at http://www.facebook.com/TelHaiCampRetreat.

To register for the Turkey Bowl, visit www.telhaicamp.org/events/turkey-bowl-run. Registration and a course map is also available by visiting http://www.runsignup.com, choosing "Find a Race" and then selecting "33rd Annual 5K Turkey Bowl Race." Event T-shirts will be available on race day while supplies last.

The camp is located along Beaver Dam Road, 1.5 miles east of Route 10. The GPS address is 31 Lasso Drive, Honey Brook. There will be free parking and rest room facilities available. Parking will be located in the field by the lake on the north side of Beaver Dam Road.

For more information, visit the previously mentioned website or contact Gregory at 610-273-3969 or bruce@telhaicamp.org. Those who would like to volunteer on event day are asked to contact Gregory for more information.