Portland (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Every Thanksgiving more than a thousand people flock to Portland for the annual Thanksgiving Day 4-miler.
The 37th annual event was as popular as ever this year attracting more than a thousand people from all over Maine and from away.
The race organizer, George Towle, says the 4-miler event has been a tradition for decades. "We see the same people back every year," Towle says. "They get to see each other once a year at this race, so it works out well for everybody."
Towle is confident the brutal cold will make this years race one to remember.
1400 people pre-registered for the 4-miler, but event organizers anticipate at least several hundred runners got cold feet.
There were plenty of troopers though, braving the arctic weather.
James Herbert and his son Joel relocated to Maine from Philadelphia last year. Herbert says "It's nice and toasty out, not a problem. Quite toasty!" Hebert joked.
Tony Gill is in Maine, from Utah, visiting relatives for the holiday. "We're excited. It's a little colder than in Utah, but there's more air, so maybe we'll make it." Laughed Gill.
Good spirits and warm hearts despite the biting cold.
"For the most part they're here for the camaraderie, Towle said. "To be home for Thanksgiving, be with family and heading for turkey right after."
The Thanksgiving Day 4-miler raises thousands of dollars for local charities.