Runners and walkers prepare for the annual Great Race
From Saratoga to Los Gatos
By Shari Kaplan
It's not an April Fool's Day joke! The 24th annual Great Race, which unites the communities of Los Gatos and Saratoga, is April 1, and takes place rain or shine. Registration begins at 7 a.m., with a 9 a.m. starting time.
Presented by the Los Gatos Rotary Club, the Great Race is again expected to attract some 2,500 participants from throughout the South Bay. The runners include lone 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 4-mile course begins at Big Basin Way and Third Street in the Saratoga Village 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. The shuttle stop will be on Grays Lane in Los Gatos to the starting line and registration area in Saratoga. Very limited parking is also available in Saratoga.
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 turns onto 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 containing foods, beverages and other promotional items from event sponsors.
The parking lot is also the venue for awards presentations, entertainment, VIP sponsor tents and tents run by athletic service providers and other organizations. Awards go to one overall winner, the top male and female finishers and the top three finishers in seven different categories.
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.losgatos rotary.org, and on the day of the race. The fee is $25 in advance, or $30 on race day, and includes a Great Race T-shirt.
The Great Race is a major fundraiser for the Los Gatos Rotary Club, which 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
