The 2nd annual Dracena Park Race for the Piedmont Junior Running Club was held on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Sixty-four runners from the three Piedmont elementary schools participated. Despite an atmospheric river of rain that hit the Bay Area, the race took place during a window when amazingly little rain fell.
For the first time in the twelve year history of the program, a chip timing system was used to record the results. The run club coaches wanted the runners to have a first class experience during the event and chip timing was part of it.
The race course is one mile and winds from the bottom of Dracena Park to the top and back down. Runners have to navigate a steep hill up to the top of the park and then a winding, steep switchback as they come back down the hill. Because the path is so narrow, the race took part in four separate heats of about 15 runners each.
With chip timing, real time results are available as each runner crosses the timing mat at the finish line. This race is the only sports competition where the three elementary schools compete on the field of play. To highlight this fact, there is team competition, with the five fastest times from each school being used to determine the winner.
A perpetual trophy is awarded to the winning school and this year it was Wildwood Elementary School.
The Piedmont Junior Running Club is an after-school running program for fourth and fifth graders offered by the Piedmont Recreation Department. It was started in 2013 and over the years approximately a thousand boys and girls have taken part. It is offered year round at each of the elementary schools.
The Winter season starts Monday, Jan. 13. Registration begins on Tuesday, Dec. 3 and information can be found in the PRD Activity Guide on page 31. Find the Guide here.