Sunday, August 16 marked the 47th running of Felton’s own ‘Race Thru the Redwoods.’ The race starts in the day-use picnic area of Henry Cowell Redwood State Park and is actually two races: the 10k and the kids’ mile.
This year’s 10k had 403 pre-registered runners, plus 40 to 50 people who signed up on race day. The mile had about 100 kids signed up, many of whom had parents running as well.
“This is sponsored by the Felton Business Association so many of the people on the board of directors are involved.” says Felton Feed’s own Judy Brown, “This is one of the ways that we raise money to contribute to the community.”
This year was Brown’s fourth year volunteering at the race; some of the proceeds from which go back to sports teams at the local high schools including San Lorenzo Valley High School’s track team and Scotts Valley’s High School’s Volleyball team.
Although not as well known as the ‘Wharf to Wharf, which draws more than 16,000 runners annually, the ‘Race Thru the Redwoods’ has drawn some international talent.
“In the past we’ve had runners from as far away as New York, Mexico and South America, “said Brown. “However they were not just in the area to race.”
Sue Sutton has run the race twice before with a best time of 54:23, “I live here in Boulder Creek and I hike here [at Henry Cowell] all the time; it’s beautiful and cool,” says Sutton, “Everywhere in Boulder Creek there’s a hill, so this is nothing.”
The community as a whole is very involved in supporting the race. Santa Cruz County ARES ham Radio volunteers, like Mikail Barron, could be found all over the trail on race day. “It’s a pure safety thing; we can communicate better with them here,” says member of the ‘Race Thru the Redwoods’ team Valoree Mills.
“This [race] is made possible by our major sponsors: Granite Contruction, the Sereno Group, Union Bank and Liberty Bank,” said Mills. Many of the raffle prizes were also donated by local businesses, like the grand prize of the kid’s raffle: a specialized bike was donated by Scotts Valley Cycle Sport.
Scott Rasmann, who has run the race twice, says, “I really like trail runs; trail races are great and there are a couple of challenging hills, plus I support the local high schools which is very important.”
Rob Collins, coach of SLVHS’s track and cross country teams could be found at the starting line of the kid’s mile, helping the kids to line up successfully for the 8:10 start time.
“Me and my wife are the ones who started the kids’ race,” says Collins, who was inspired by the lack of opportunity for kids to compete in the Santa Cruz Mountains, “One of the biggest enjoyments for me was — [when] my son wanted to run his first race.”
The old record, from when the [10k] race began in the New Leaf Market Parking lot, was around 33:20, according to Collins. “The winning time is in the 34 to 36 minute range each year,” now.
This year’s winner of the 10k, Jacob Smith, finished with a time of 39:13, but many of the runners finished after about an hour.
Up-and-coming runner Ava Mehlenblocher, 6, says she planned to run the kids’ mile, “As fast as the flash.”
The winner of the kids’ mile, Cory Nounnan finished with a time of 6:33 with Kai Groleau coming in a close second with the same time. However, both races gave awards by age-group with groups from 6 and under all the way up to 12 for the kids’ mile, and runners from ages 10 to 71 in the 10k.
Many runners fueled up for the race with breakfast in the park catered by the Cowboy Bar & Grill in Felton, and the runners’ perks didn’t end there. All pre-registered runners got t-shirts, and all of the kids got ribbons. There were also ‘Race Thru the Redwoods’ water bottles available, and even a face painting table set up in the picnic area.
Many of the children running the kids’ mile were so young that parents had to run with them, and some were even carried over the finish line. However, every runner was greeted by a cheering crowd, regardless of their time.
