Thanksgiving morning was off to a running start when a crowd gathered to participate in the first annual Turkey Trot put on by the Powell High School Robotics Club.

The 117 people who showed up exceeded the expected number of about 60. Runners completed a course around town in either the mile or kilometer race. The Robotics Club also made over $2,000 to help pay for their expenses, instead of the $1,000 they were expecting.

“We planned the turkey trot for a couple of months,” Robotics teacher Mr. Joel Hayano said. “Alan and Jenna Merritt’s parents, they pretty much organized the whole thing.”

Lots of thought went into this fundraiser. Proof of this is evident in the long list of names in the classroom, all signed up for different tasks such as handing out fliers, making the race course and getting the awards.

“Everybody on the robotics team helped.” Mr. Hayano said.

“My favorite part of the run was most likely how they started the race,” freshman Abby Landwehr said. “The robot was a cool reminder of what the cause of the run really was.”

The race was started by a robot seated on a table by the starting line. When the countdown from 10 reached zero, the robot waved a flag which signaled the start of the race.

There were many noteworthy parts of the race. Hot chocolate at the finish and wooden medals with robotic turkeys carved onto them for prizes were a couple of features that stood out.

“The hot cocoa was pretty neat,” Northwest College student Abbie Hogan said.

This race was the start of the annual PHS Robotics Turkey Trot. Next year there will be a few improvements and changes.

“We’re thinking about offering a T-shirt that you can buy if you pre-register.” Mr. Hayano said

Overall, the race was a great way to start Thanksgiving Day.

“It was just a huge success and we’re thankful for everybody.” Mr. Hayano said.