Kiwanis Club and Tom Torlakson to hold annual Holiday Run & Walk for Health, Saturday

Holiday Run banner

Race Overview and Welcome

Dear Friends, Sponsors, and Fitness Enthusiasts:

We know you will enjoy the 37th Anniversary of the Holiday Run and Walk for Health and Health Fair in Antioch, coming on December 14, 2013. We invite you to participate in this year’s run, walk & health fair. Use this event as a goal for increasing your own personal fitness and energy—and that of your family!

Three decades! This event is the longest “running” fitness event in East Contra Costa—and is one of the earliest and most steadfast events promoting fitness and clean living in Northern California. It’s been possible to carry on this tradition and spread this message due to the generous support of sponsors and the tireless energy of hundreds of volunteers. If you’d like to join our planning committee for 2014, let us know. We need your ideas and help.

We welcome your feedback. We’re always looking to improve and expand. As a result of our generous sponsors, the recent event proceeds benefited the Orin Allen Rehabilitation Center, local youth groups and service clubs, Contra Costa County Schools and Contra Costa Libraries, and Senior Centers. Those awards were given at the Annual Awards Breakfast held in February! This year we will continue to offer similar benefits to our great local organizations.

The Antioch Kiwanis Club of the Delta invites you to share this unique health awareness and fitness action event in 2013…Join in on the fun & the health of it! Click here to download a race registration form or click here to register on-line!

For more information, please visit http://holidayrun.org.

See you on Saturday!

Sincerely,

Assemblymember Tom Torlakson
Race Founder
Paul Schorr
Race Director
Antioch Kiwanis Club of the Delta
37th Holiday Run and Walk for Health

 

 

Holiday Run and Walk for Health Race History

In 1977, current California State Superintendent of Public Education, Tom Torlakson, a teacher and coach at Pacific High School, and Mike Hurd, the Antioch High School Cross Country coach during the 1970s, decided to pull together a new East County event. One in which their runners could participate after the Cross Country season ended, and one that would involve their community more in running.

In the 2nd year, Torlakson approached Clark Gelhaus—a teacher as well as a swimming instructor and fitness enthusiast—and the Delta Kiwanis Club to help with the event. Both the Kiwanis and Gelhaus enthusiastically embraced the Holiday Run.

The event’s organizers have continued to expand and transform the event to make it enjoyable and meaningful for participants.

A 10K race was added by 1979. In the 1980s, the race was moved up to Raley’s Shopping Center to take advantage of the nearby Contra Costa Canal trail. In 1987, the Holiday Run’s “School Participation Challenge” was initiated as a way to get younger students involved in the race and fitness.

In 1991, the race moved to the nearby Delta Memorial Hospital, now Sutter Delta Medical Center, allowing the use of their facilities for race headquarters. The walk was added to attract parent participation, seniors, and the growing number of recreational walkers.

In 1995, Delta Kiwanis made the Byron Boys Ranch—recently renamed the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Center—a targeted beneficiary of the financial proceeds of the event. Youth groups remain major beneficiaries to this day. A health fair was added and in 1997 our name evolved once again, to the “Holiday Run and Walk for Health.”

New participation challenges were also added. A Libraries Challenge gave our wonderful local libraries the opportunity to become beneficiaries of the event. Though their participation, libraries are awarded funds to buy up-to-date materials on fitness and nutrition.

In 2006, the Holiday Run and Walk for Health moved to the Contra Loma Regional Park with the cooperation of the East Bay Regional Parks District. This spectacular location was well received by a record-number of runners in its first three years.

We have worked together to celebrate three decades of family fun and fitness! We continue to believe that the “Holiday Run and Walk for Health” has great potential to grow and bring its message of fitness and family health to hundreds of others in our community


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