It's a great course, it's a great challenge, it's great fun and it's great exercise.

Add it all up, and it's the annual Great Race, sponsored by the Los Gatos Rotary Club.

And if past years are any indication, more than 2,500 runners should take off when the starting gun blasts at 9 a.m. April 4.

It's a great course that runs alongside Highway 9 from Saratoga to Los Gatos, and it's a 4-mile course that provides runners with a great challenge. What's more, entrants can have some great fun and get some great exercise as they run or walk the four miles from one town to the other.

Race day registration begins at 7 a.m., and the registration fee for the race that will be held rain or shine is $25 before March 31 and $30 on race day. An awards presentation will follow the race.

For the 20th straight year, the Los Gatos Rotary Club will sponsor the race that actually dates back to 1978.

The origin of the Great Race can be traced back to '78 when Bill Glennon, then the mayor of Saratoga, suggested a race between the neighboring communities.

While the race was a popular annual event in the area, lack of sponsorship threatened its existence in the early 1980s. In 1984, the Rotary Club stepped in to take over sponsorship of the event and its popularity continues to grow each year.

The race will start in Saratoga at Big Basin Way and Third Street. Runners will jog down Highway 9 and make a right turn on N. Santa Cruz Avenue before finishing at Bean Avenue.

To register by March 31, visit the Runner's Factory, 51 University Ave.; Athletic Performance, 55 W. Main St.; Running Revolution, 511 E. Campbell Ave.; or sign-up online at http://www.losgatosrotary.org.