Nearly 5,000 runners and walkers kick off Thanksgiving at the 34th YMCA Run Through the Woods

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Early on Thanksgiving Thursday morning, thousands of people descended on the Market Street / Pavilion / Town Green Park part of town to get some pre-turkey exercise in at the annual YMCA Run Through the Woods race. Presented by The Huntsman Corporation, this combo one-mile / three-mile / five-mile race / walk broke records this year.

"I'm so excited to announce that 4,850 people registered this year, a substantial increase over the 4,100 who registered last year," Roxanne Davis, the event coordinator and longtime fixture of The Woodlands YMCA, told Woodlands Online. "While I'm sad I had to turn people away because we were maxed out, I'm thrilled to see so many families here."

While roads were blocked off around Lake Woodlands Drive between Six Pines and Northshore Park, traffic inconvenience was at a bare minimum thanks to the scores of volunteers and local law enforcement directing traffic. The morning dawned overcast and cool, but the rains held off as nearly 5,000 people and countless hundreds more spectators partook in the event.

Click the "More Photos" button to see hundreds of pictures taken by Woodlands Online staff.

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