This Sunday, runners from Davis and out of town will gather for the 29th annual Davis Stampede. A Change of Pace Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting fitness and healthy living for children, holds the event every year on the first Sunday of February.
“This is kind of the unofficial kick-off to the running season in the greater Sacramento Area” said Jeannine Henderson, co-director of A Change of Pace Foundation.
The event includes races of three different distances including a 5-kilometer, a 10-kilometer and a half-marathon. Races are open to participants of any age, gender and athletic ability. There are also three non-competitive “kid’s runs” for ages 12 and under. Each event starts at Central Park at Third and B Street and loops through the city.
So far, about 2,800 participants have registered for the event, and members of the foundation are expecting more to register the day of the race. Half of the participants are residents of Davis, but the other half comes from the greater Sacramento area, Henderson said.
While ultimately a fundraiser for A Change of Pace Foundation, the event affects many businesses in Davis.
“This event is really beneficial for the community,” Henderson said. “We’re bringing in over 4,000 people that aren’t Davis residents and all of those people bring business to the cafes and restaurants. A lot of them even stay in hotels in Davis.”
Businesses are also given the opportunity to set up promotional booths at the event, which are visited by participants, spectators and community members.
In addition, many local businesses sponsor A Change of Pace Foundation in putting on the event.
Fleet Feet, a sports specialty store in downtown Davis, is a sponsor of the race and has been holding half-marathon training runs since December.
According to Chris Denton, co-owner of Fleet Feet, the store has been working with A Change of Pace Foundation for several years and will be sponsoring their upcoming “Lucky 7” race in March as well.
Students also contribute to the event.
“About 250 students from UC Davis and 100 from Davis high schools volunteer for this event,” Henderson said. “We get a lot of sororities and fraternities asking how they can get involved if they’re not runners, and we’re always looking for more groups to help with registration and organization.”
For information about volunteering at future events, contact Jeannine Henderson at jeannine@changeofpace.com.
JENNIFER LISTUG can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
