Annual 3-event footrace is Benicia Education Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of year

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

Benicia, do you support your schools?

Are you prepared to prove your devotion to quality education for the city’s children?

If so, get out those running shoes and limber up. The fifth annual Run for Education is just around the corner — a week from Sunday, to be exact.

It’s not too late to sign up for the April 15 event, which features a 10-kilometer race, a 5k and a 1-mile Fun Run for the kids. Running days behind you? The Benicia Education Foundation, host of the race, needs volunteers, too.

Teresa Zabrek, race director, said with the signups she’s seen so far, this may be the biggest run yet.

“I’m very excited about the community support. We have much more enthusiasm from the entire community,” she said.

“We have two teams from the city, we have a team from the (school) district office. We’ve got lots of school teams. The Benicia Middle School has an enormous team and they’re making matching T-shirts. It’s just really fun.”

Zabrek said city leaders plan to participate, too. “The mayor is going to lead the one-mile Fun Run on her bicycle so the kids know where to go. Even the mayor is getting in on the excitement.”

For race organizers, the excitement doesn’t end there. There have been some improvements to the course this year, too, Zabrek said, leading to certification by USA Track and Field.

“We’re excited that we’re going to have good, accurate results,” she said.

In fact, she said, the race has improved every year. “We’ve really listened to the public’s feedback and each year improve what we can. That’s what we’ve done this year that we’re excited about.”

Zabrek is proud of the course that goes through scenic downtown Benicia. “The course is beautiful,” she said. “Our course offers so much.”

Even non-runners can appreciate it, she said — and hopefully, many will. “We need 70 or more course volunteers, plus our volunteers on the (First Street) Green to help with registration,” she said.

Volunteers can pick up an assignment April 10 at the district office, 350 East K St., from 5-7 p.m. or April 14 from 9-11 a.m. at Starbucks in Solano Square. They’ll be given an intersection to monitor and an orange vest that “tells them where to be and what time to be there,” Zabrek said.

She said last-minute volunteers can check in at the parking lot across the street from Sailor Jack’s between 6:45-7:30 a.m. on race day.

Just shy of 600 people are currently registered to participate in the run, Zabrek said, but she anticipates there will be many more. “We’re thinking we’re going to have a little more than we’ve had in the past. We seem to be growing more each year. We’re hoping for at least 1,200.”

For runners, pre-registration (until April 14) is $30 for adults, $20 for youth 17 and under; race-day registration is $35 for adults, $25 for youth.

In-person registration can be accomplished April 11-12 from 1-6 p.m. at Earthly Nutrition, 872 Southampton Road, and April 13 from 4-8 p.m. and April 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Road Runner Sports, 1975 Diamond Blvd., in Concord. Online registration through active.com should be done by 8 p.m. April 10.

Run proceeds will benefit the nonprofit BEF, which focuses on raising funds for district library and technology programs.

If You Run
The Benicia Education Foundation Run for Education is Sunday, April 15; registration begins at 7 a.m., and the 10-kilometer run starts at 8 a.m. The 5k starts at 8:10 a.m., and the 1-mile Fun Run begins at 10 a.m. For more information visit www.beniciarunforeducation.org.