GILROY—The Bill Flodberg Mount Madonna Challenge is back for its 39th year and it’s upped the ante.
The South Valley Running Club has partnered up with the Road Runners Club of America to make the 12K course part of its Championship Event Series, which awards the top male and female runners in the masters (40 and older), grand masters (50 and older) and senior grand masters (60 and older).
But those not looking to participate in the RRCA event needn’t worry. The Mount Madonna Challenge is open to all runners wanting to test their skills on its varying courses and distances. Runners will get their shot at tackling a 700-foot climb on the 6K loop, 1,100 feet on the 12K, 1,800 feet on the 18K or a grueling 2,900 feet on the 30K course at 8 a.m. Aug. 23 at the Sprig Lake Picnic Area at the base—Gilroy side—of Mount Madonna County Park.
“It is a beautiful course and we do have really good aid stations and really good support,” race director Kim Moyano said. “It’s not mandatory that you run it; you can hike it. I think, for someone who’s curious about it, it’s a beautiful course. We’re so lucky to have Mount Madonna so close to us. It’s a really nice course, but it is challenging.”
Moyano said the course will be clearly marked and have aid stations, stocked with electrolyte drinks and water among others, close together—the furthest being three miles from the last.
The race cost $35 for the 6K, $45 for the 12K, $55 for the 18K and $65 for the 30K. Interested runners can register online at svrchome.org/mtmadonnachallenge.
Money raised from the Mount Madonna Challenge benefit the SVRC scholarship fund, which awarded $500 to three cross country/track and field athletes from Sobrato and Christopher High Schools last year.
Registration opens at 7 a.m. and all races begin at 8 a.m.
“It’s a hometown event,” Moyano said. “It’s small; it’s not like this huge, 20,000-plus people (event) where you’re going to get lost in the crowd. We intend to support and help each person individually and make sure they’re taken care of.”
