The annual 5K Fun Run hosted by the Saratoga Education Foundation (SEF) took place on Nov. 3 at Redwood Middle School. The 3-mile course started at the back of the school and took runners around the local neighborhood, ending with a lap around Redwood’s track.
Map of the 3-mile course around Redwood Middle School and the surrounding neighborhood.
As runners made their way along the course, volunteers — many from the SHS cross country team — cheered them on and sheriff’s deputies stopped traffic to ensure that the runners could continue without halt.
“I thought the event went really well and I think it was a really fun experience for both the community runners and our team,” senior cross country captain Adi Hebbalae said.
The cross country team split up to cover various volunteering tasks around the course, including packet hand-outs, course monitoring and cheering on runners throughout each point of the course.
As runners got back onto the Redwood campus, the mascots from Redwood and the three elementary schools — Argonaut, Foothill and Saratoga — cheered them on as they crossed the finish line.
Several cross country members and mascots cheer runners on as they approach the finish line.
After the end of the race, SEF president Mahshid Soltani delivered a thank you speech to the volunteers.
Video by Derek Liang
Mashid Soltani delivering her speech on stage at the Redwood lower basketball courts.
The mascots from each school gathered on the stage for their recognition.
Jeremy Levitt, a Saratoga resident of 12 years, stated that the race was very enjoyable because of the great weather and good organization from the event organizers.
“I have three kids at Saratoga Elementary so we were out here to support the PTA and the schools,” Levitt said.
Also a first-time participant, Charlie Zhu — also a Saratoga resident for 12 years — thought that the race was a great experience and fun way to spend time with family and friends.
“My wife actually signed [Zhu and his kids] up, I think she heard from a family friend that they wanted to do a 5K, and before we knew it we were all signed up,” Zhu said.
Like Zhu and Levitt, many of the participants were local families enjoying a fun weekend event with their kids. However, some other families with more experience also showed out for the community event.
The Prindiville family — father Michael Prindiville, and sons Rowan Prindiville and Desmond Prindiville — each received a medal in their respective age groups.
Michael — who told the Falcon that he’s “well over 18” — received the bronze medal in the 18 and over age group, Rowan — who is 16 years old — received the gold medal in the 16 to 17 age group and Desmond — who is 13 years old — received the gold medal in the 12 to 13 age group.
“[This event] just looked like a great community run [that I found online],” Michael said. “We were looking for a fun 5K and this was perfect for us.”
The Prindiville’s currently live in Portola Valley, where Rowan and Desmond are part of the Woodside Priory High School and Middle School cross country teams.
Aside from this 5K, the Prindivilles have a long history with running.
“My wife Jennifer and I both ran in college. I ran at Stanford, and my wife ran in Minnesota and then for Nike, so we are a running family,” Michael said. “And now our sons, I’d say, in the last three or four years, they’ve really started to enjoy it.”
Jennifer told the Falcon that running is a lifestyle for their family. Her family often watches the Olympic trials, and track meets on the TV together and she even volunteers as a coach at Woodside Priory for the middle school team.
“In my early childhood, [my parents] never really pushed me to do running, although they did encourage me to participate in almost every sport,” Rowan said. “When I got into high school, I chose what path I wanted to go down, which was running, and I enjoy it to this day.”
As the Prindivilles continue their weekly Saturday morning runs, they are also looking forward to signing up for more local races and running more together as a family.
Desmond, Rowan, Michael and Jennifer Prindiville pose for a family picture at the Redwood middle school track.
As the annual Fun Run came to an end, food stands, carnival games, and youth dance shows closed off the fundraising event as a huge success for the SEF.
“Cross country isn’t really the sport people line up to enter, so it was so nice to see so many elementary [and middle school kids] running,” Hebbalae said. “I also think volunteering at this event was really good for our team to get out and work together for something more than just ourselves.”
