Our Story and History of the Fishhawk Turkey Trot
The FishHawk Turkey Trot (FHTT) began in 2009 with a mission to provide meaningful community service hours for high school students and provide food to people in need. The race was organized in two short months at the FishHawk Sports Complex with the hopes of attracting 100 area runners. In reality, 450 people participated and with that the FishHawk Turkey Trot was literally off and running.
The 2010 FHTT moved into Newsome High School and became the largest road race in the area with over 1,400 participants. Having outgrown the previous two venues, the FHTT 2011 was on the move and found a permanent home at the FishHawk Publix parking lot – again setting records with over 2,000 runners on the inaugural all-road course. The numbers continued to grow in 2012 with over 2,500 participants supporting the race. The 2013 race saw an increase as well with close to 2,800 runners.
Throughout the tremendous growing curve, the FHTT has stayed true to its roots. With a family super-friendly theme and a professionally run and timed course, it has something for everyone. The race is disposable chip timed on a certified 5k course, provides Dri-fit T’s with an awesome logo, has fun picture opportunities with a turkey mascot and gives out hand crafted medals to winners and kids’ race participants.
Seeds of Hope, Inc. (SOH) is the 501(c)3 charity formed from the proceeds of the FHTT. SOH focuses on providing help to people in need and meaningful community service hours for local students. The food bank has found its fit by providing backpacks of food to school children, weekly food distributions for families, and a mobile pantry for unique situations.
The founder and director of the race, Leda Eaton, knew it would be a perfect fit for the FishHawk Ranch community, “There’s no other race that says ‘family fun’ like our FishHawk Turkey Trot. There is a spirit around the turkey trot that permeates everything we do. Everyone comes and leaves smiling and with all the proceeds going to our local food bank, it’s a perfect fit for a Thanksgiving Day cause we can all support.”