Despite the threat of rain, the 41st annual Wildflower Run on March 24 in Morgan Hill was once again a sold out event, with about 1,200 participants in six races.
New to this year’s Wildflower Run—sponsored annually by the Morgan Hill chapter of the AAUW—was the “All Ages” 2K, a fun untimed event on the Live Oak High School campus that allowed multiple generations of athletes to participate together. The All Ages run attracted more than 160 participants.
This was also the second year of the Wildflower Run’s increasingly popular school competition, with more than 250 elementary and middle school students, family members, and staff participating. A Runner Duckie trophy was awarded to schools with the most participants in each grade category.
Those winners were: Nordstrom (grades K-5), Charter School of Morgan Hill (grades K-8), Martin Murphy Middle School (grades 6-8,); and to the school team with the most spirit, the P.A. Walsh Mermaids.
The Wildflower Run is an all-volunteer-run event organized by the Morgan Hill Branch of the
American Association of University Women. The run is supported by 200 volunteers.
AAUW is grateful for the incredible support provided by the entire South County, including runners, volunteers, sponsors, the City of Morgan Hill, and the Morgan Hill Police Department.
The run raises money for local scholarships, community grants and leadership programs for
women and girls. Each year the Wildflower Run raises approximately $65,000 from runner registrations, corporate sponsorships and individual donations.
In the last 10 years alone, the Wildflower Run has raised more than $500,000 for causes and programs promoted by AAUW.
Additional winners in the March 24 Wildflower Run include:
– 10K Men’s Run: Juan Rivera, of Seaside (1st place); Marco Antonio Becerra, of Morgan Hill (2nd place); Jack McKenzie, of Morgan Hill (3rd place).
– 10K Women’s Run: Isabelle Brown, of Virginia Beach (1st place); Addison Smith, of Gilroy (2nd place); Lin Sun, of San Jose (3rd place).
– 5K Men’s Run: Joseph Palacios, of Gilroy (1st place); Jorn Jensen, of Morgan Hill (2nd place); Morten Bierre, of Hampen (3rd place).
– 5K Women’s Run: Cali Barberi, of Morgan Hill (1st place); Juli Barberi, of Morgan Hill (2nd place); Allison Green, of Morgan Hill (3rd place).
Elizabeth Mandel is the publicity director for the AAAUW Wildflower Run.
