Go Electrathon Racer! MCHS Students Adding Final Touches to Electric Race Car

To say that a lot of time and effort has gone into preparing for Mill Creek High School's inaugural appearance in the "Run for the Peaches" electrathon race would be an understatement.

"I try not to keep track of the hours," said electrathon team advisor and Mill Creek teacher Glenn Burrows.

The team, which started out with 10 members, has been working after school and on the weekends for several months building an electric race car. Unfortunately, the race happens to be on the same day as Mill Creek's prom. As a result, the team is now down to a core group of about five students who have been putting in extra hours to finish and test the racer.

"They're putting in hours, they're giving up their Saturdays when everybody else is at home playing video games or out with friends. They're working and building and really making progress," Burrows said.

Both students and adults are allowed to compete in the electrathon. Participants build a 24-volt battery-powered electric vehicle and compete in two race categories: distance and duration. In the duration category, racers compete to see which car can go the longest on a single battery charge. In the distance category, racers have a set amount of time in which to cover the greatest distance possible.

This is Mill Creek's first year competing in the event.

"The kids are doing a fabulous job at it," Burrows said.

On May 4, the team had the opportunity to take the racer for a test drive (see video). During the upcoming week, the team will attempt to resolve a few issues with the racer and hope for a good showing at the electrathon.

Team member and designated welder Vet Beck will be one of the drivers during this weekend's race. Though he'd like to win, the race, he said, is not as important as what he has learned as part of the team.

"For me, it's not so much the race, it was the experience of building it, of being able to learn how to do things such as welding," Beck said. "I'm just really excited to learn how to do stuff."

Read more about the electrathon here.

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