Runners begin their 5k run (or walk) in Saranac Lake Thursday morning during the Third Annual Bitters and Bones Turkey Trot. This year, the Thanksgiving Day event drew more than 300 participants. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

SARANAC LAKE — It’s not always easy establishing an annual event that has some staying power. Three years into the Bitters and Bones turkey trot, it seems the organizers of the race have created an event that looks like it may just be sticking around in Saranac Lake for some time to come.

On Thursday, the Third Annual Bitters and Bones 5K Turkey Trot drew its biggest crowd yet, as more than 300 runners and walkers helped raise more than $14,000 for two local charities.

Some participants donned their running gear, and others dressed in holiday-themed costumes as they braved a chilly day with light snow flurries for a Thanksgiving morning round-trip trek between Bitters and Bones and Casa Del Sol.

In the first two years the race was held, the event raised $20,000. This year that dollar amount jumped considerably with donations going to the Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry and the Saranac Lake Central School District Student Needs Fund.

In addition to raising money through participants’ entry fees, more than 70 sponsors also helped the cause.