In addition to being a day to eat delicious food, Thanksgiving is one of the most popular running days of the year, with thousands of people competing in “Turkey Trot” races before gobbling down their meals.

For the last 10 years, Liberty Baptist Church in Appomattox, Va., has instead hosted a “Lottie Waddle” running event to raise money for international missions and reach out to its community.

Rusty Small, lead pastor at Liberty Baptist, said the church noticed many in the community would travel out of town to participate in 5K events. The church decided to host its own running event at the church campus, initially just to offer an exercise opportunity. Considering the time of year, the event quickly became a great chance for Liberty Baptist to raise money for missions.

Participants pay a $10 entrance fee. Around 50 or 60 people participated in last year’s event, raising hundreds of dollars that will all go to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Small said the event has grown in popularity since its inception, and a considerable amount of involvement comes from people outside the church congregation.