BERWICK -- A Berwick tradition had people running off their Thanksgiving dinners before they even sat down to eat.
Nine miles of running with 1,600 other people. Neil Hunsinger of Mountain Top says there is no better way to spend his Thanksgiving morning than the 106th annual Berwick Run for the Diamonds.
"This is my sixth year, all straight in a row. It's just great to be in a community race. It's great to see family, friends. You can count on everybody being here," Hunsinger said.
The longtime tradition puts Columbia County on the map. It not only draws people from Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania. Michael Gerrity is here from Ontario. It's his 34th Run for the Diamonds!
"I've come down in snow, rain, hail, everything, so today [Thursday] is like the middle of the summer for us," Gerrity said.
The runners say the weather was almost perfect for the run.
"50 degrees is where you want to be. There's no wind, so everybody should have a great day today," Renee Popalis said.
And when the prize is diamonds, Renee Popalis of Bloomsburg says she wants to finish the race as fast as she can!
"Diamonds, that is incentive right there," Popalis said.
Some people run the race for special reasons, like one crew from Bloomsburg.
"My uncle passed away about a month ago and he used to love coming down to this race. We all thought it would be a good idea if we ran it in memory of him," Brooke Howat said.
But many of the runners tell Newswatch 16 one of the best parts of the Run for the Diamonds is knowing they can go home and eat Thanksgiving dinner after the race.
"It goes down a lot easier after you've run nine miles," Hunsinger said.
After nine miles, these runners deserve all of the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie they can eat!