The first ever Kleefeld Honey Run far exceeded the expectations of the organizers.

Co-organizer Veronica English says the 5k run got underway at 7:30 Saturday morning and wound its way through Kleefeld. She notes they were initially hoping to have at least 50 runners, but the final number of participants was 107. She says they were so excited about the turnout and surprised how far people came to participate.

"This really surprised us. We thought Kleefeld would have a really large draw but it is only about 15 runners signed up from Kleefeld. We had lots from Steinbach, Mitchell, Winnipeg, a few from Carman, Rosenort, Ste. Anne, they are from all over."

Co-organizer Barry Penner says the run itself was a big success. He notes in the future they may consider adding more lengths and age categories, but for their first year, they wanted to keep it nice and simple.

"I think a 5k for our area is perfect. Being in Kleefeld, we wanted to bring something to the town. Veronica came up with the idea earlier in the season and we looked at it logistically, 5k is perfect for our town. It is a small town but it is great that we can still bring something here."

She notes the route wound through Kleefeld giving all the runners a good look at the town.