5K race comes to Scotts Valley

Baymonte Christian School parent Mark Giblin has missed the Bean Creek Run since the 10-kilometer road race in Scotts Valley was canceled in 2006.
Catering to the runners in Scotts Valley and nearby communities, Giblin, a triathalete himself, pitched the idea of a race in Scotts Valley to Baymonte Christian School, where his two children are enrolled.
“My thought was, we do a lot of little fundraisers, why not do one big one,” Giblin said.
The 5-kilometer Tech Trek through the streets of Scotts Valley is Giblin’s brainchild and serves as a replacement for the school’s quickly-becoming outdated magazine drive. Not only is the race a way to start a new road race in Scotts Valley, it will also raise money for technology at Baymonte.
The school upgraded its computer lab in the spring with 14 new iMac desktop computers. Proceeds from the Tech Trek will pay for a new set of Apple MacBook laptop computers on a portable cart that will be shared by the fifth- through eighth-grade classes.
The school also hopes to buy more Smart Boards and Apple computer training for teachers.
Baymonte will add a video production class and coursework with the Adobe editing suite of software, and middle school-level students will have the chance to participate in robotics and rocketry teams.
“We want to go from lagging to leading (in the area of new technology),” Principal Steve Patterson said.
The Tech Trek race course will take runners from the Baymonte campus on Granite Creek Road to South Navarra and along Green Hills Road. Runners will turn along near the new subdivision on Green Hills Road and return to campus.
Although not a traditional 10K, Giblin anticipates the 5K race is long enough to separate the strong runners from the weak. Also, there is a 1 kilometer run at Baymonte for kids.
Following the race, organizers have planned a harvest festival with a raffle, a pumpkin patch, face painting, bounce houses and a pie walk.
Raffle prizes include San Jose Sharks hockey tickets, a bicycle, canopy tour tickets from Mount Hermon and golf outings. Sponsors include Bruzzone Family Vineyards, State Farm Insurance and the Pied Piper. Runners, both children and adults, will receive a gold raffle ticket for every $10 pledge they collect.
Giblin said the people of Scotts Valley are already behind the race, and he hopes it will return each year, eventually morphing into a full 10K.
“There’s been a lot of energy behind this,” Giblin said. “A lot of people from the community are excited.”
At a glance
What: Tech Trek 5K run
When: Oct. 9, 1-kilometer run: 8 a.m., 10K: 8:30 a.m.
Where: Baymonte Christian School, 5000 Granite Creek Road
Register: www.baymonte.org follow link to www.active.com.
Cost: $20 before Oct. 1; $30 after Oct. 1