Runners are readying for annual Great Race
Some 2,500 people are expected to participate
As sure as the first flowers of spring, it is again time for the Great Race. This year, the 23rd annual event joining Los Gatos and Saratoga takes place Feb. 20, rain or shine. Registration begins at 7 a.m., with a 9 a.m. start.
Presented by the Los Gatos Rotary Club, the Great Race is again expected to attract close to 2,500 participants from throughout the South Bay, including runners, runners joined by their dogs, runners pushing strollers, walkers and the physically challenged. There is also a category for people wearing costumes. Competitive runners will have the opportunity to be seeded, which means they will start the race from a strategic position ahead of the pack.
The four-mile course begins at Big Basin Way and Third Street in Saratoga and ends at the corner of N. Santa Cruz and Bean avenues in downtown Los Gatos. Shuttle transportation will be provided for runners between 7 and 8:15 a.m. from the shuttle stop on Grays Lane in Los Gatos to the starting line and registration area in Saratoga. A return shuttle is available. For those who prefer, limited parking is available in Saratoga in the lot between Third and Fourth streets.
The Los Gatos Rotary Club plans to have a pace car drive in front of the race leaders to give them a readout of the elapsed time. At each mile marker, an attendant will call out times. As the group heads up N. Santa Cruz Avenue, the finish line spotters and announcer will call out the names and hometowns of the front runners.
After runners cross the finish line, they will be "chuted" through a post-race route, at which time their race bibs are pulled and their race times recorded. The "chute" continues east to the town parking lot between Elm Street and Grays Lane, where Los Gatos Rotarians will give all runners completion ribbons and goodie bags filled with snacks and drinks as well as promotional items from event sponsors. The parking lot is also the venue for awards presentations, entertainment and VIP sponsor tents and tents run by athletic service providers and other organizations.
Runners can register for the Great Race at Athletic Performance, 55 W. Main St. or Runner's Factory, 51 University Ave., both in Los Gatos. Registration is also available online at www.losgatosrotary.org and on the day of the race. Fee is $20 in advance or $25 on race day and includes a Great Race T-shirt.
The Great Race is a major fundraiser for the Los Gatos Rotary Club, which in turn contributes financial and volunteer resources to local charities. In the last 12 months, Los Gatos Rotarians gave more than $30,000 to 40 local charitable organizations.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
