GILROY—For the past 39 years, runners from around the Bay Area and beyond have tested themselves on the steep slopes of Mt. Madonna—and they show no signs of stopping anytime soon.
The 40th annual Bill Flodberg Mt. Madonna Challenge kicks off at 7 a.m. with registration Saturday on the Gilroy side of Mt. Madonna County Park on Highway 152. All the races will begin at 8 a.m. The event features 6, 12, 18 and 30K courses, which takes runners through groves of Oak, Manzanita and Redwood trees. Participants will also battle through elevation changes ranging from 700 to 2,900 feet, depending on their course.
“I’m 90 percent excited (about the race),” First time Mt. Madonna Challenge Race Director Rahul Maharaj said. “There’s something to be said for something that lasts 40 years and on the same trails. At the same time I’m anxious because I want to make sure it’s a good event.”
Around 150 runners are expected to tackle the course including David and Megan Roche from Sunnyvale, who are both Nike Trail elite athletes and will run the 30K.
The event is named for Bill Flodberg, who died in 2009 at age 75. Flodberg was an avid runner, who raced into his 70s and wrote the “Running Man” column for several years in the Dispatch. He coached cross country at Gavilan and was one of the founders of the Gavilan Joggers and Striders Running Club. He also helped direct the Mt. Madonna Challenge before his passing.
Money raised from this and other South Valley Running Club events helps fund the SVRC scholarship. Each spring, the scholarship is awarded to seniors from Gilroy and Morgan Hill who are active in cross country or track and field and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
This year’s awards were redesigned to mark the race’s 40th anniversary. The top two male and female finishers in each distance will receive wooden block trophies—the tallest one coming in at 24 inches—which are engraved with the race information and have a medal attached.
“It’s a pretty nice award that we’re doing for the 40th one,” Maharaj said. “We figured we’d do something different for this one.”
The third place finishers will receive a special medal and all other runners will be given a finisher’s medal.
Since its his first time directing the race, Maharaj said he’s focused on making sure it goes off without a hitch. On race day, he said runners can expect a clearly marked course, fully stocked aid stations and defined finish lines.
“I just want to make sure it goes off well,” he said.
Interested runners can register for the event at bit.ly/1NebZUR or at 7 a.m. on race day. The 6K costs $35, the 12K $45, the 18K $55 and the 30K is $65. The registration fee includes a commemorative 40th anniversary t-shirt.
