On Oct. 12, 2025, San Ramon’s 42nd Run for Education occurred in Bishop Ranch, spanning from 8:00 to 11:00 in the morning. The Run, which raises funds for all 35 public schools in SRVUSD, has annually occurred since 1983. Events included a 5k run, 10k run, Mini Run, and Virtual and Friendship Runs, with participants of every age. An Education Expo was also organized with local businesses.
“We have people who have been doing this for 40 years. I did it with my kids when they were young, and now my kids have kids, and they’re doing it,” Gary Alpert, President of the Board of Directors for the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF), explained. “It’s a pretty special feeling to see, you know, families and generations of families participating.”
The run aims to provide additional funding to the schools and educators directly, compensating for a lack of state funding towards public education and SRVUSD specifically. The money raised goes to teacher grants, STEAM programs, school libraries, and other initiatives. Over the last few years, committee member Karen Robman has noticed how a change in administration at the district has led to an uptick in district support for the event.
“Our only goal and purpose as the Education Foundation is to support the district. It’s really important for them to show up and to be here. I feel like CJ [Cammack], in the last couple of years, and his staff, has really encouraged it,” Robman said.
Committee member Alicia Gee, who manages business outreach for the foundation, also described a change in how local businesses are getting involved with the Run. Gee described how the businesses’ outreach supports the San Ramon community as well, with many businesses showing that support.
“[Businesses] participate because they want the community engagement, and they want to outreach to the people that live here. They see that it’s valuable to be a part of this community, and this is how they’re coming out to be a part of the community,” Gee explained.
Business and community sponsorships, as well as city cooperation, enable the Run to close off city streets for participants and utilize space for the expo. Sponsors provide large monetary grants towards the Foundation for the event. On the day of the Run itself, businesses set up booths with raffles, games, and prizes, which simultaneously work to promote their business as well as provide entertainment for the event.
“I think there are a lot of people in our community that want to, shop local, stay local, and make sure that our tax dollars are spent here,” Robman added. “I think there are a lot of people who look at that, and this is a really good way for businesses to show that they’re giving back as well.”
Similarly, long-time committee member Scott Gerbert expressed his excitement about seeing new volunteers and getting them involved in the community. Gerbert and Alpert, like many other committee members, have been involved in the Run for over 20 years. They have seen new sets of volunteers of all ages catch the “bug” for volunteering and become excited about helping out in the community.
“It’s not just about getting service hours for a club or because someone told you, ‘Oh, you should do community service for college applications,’ but to actually get to see how much fun it is when you volunteer and kind of support a community event,” Gerbert said.
Over the years, the event has changed quite a bit, with new additions being added onto core aspects of the Run that occur. Competitions between the high schools for the highest participation percentage also transpire. This year, Dougherty won with a 1.4% lead on Cal High. Another part of the event that wasn’t there originally is the Expo, which includes booths, games and food,. Additionally, new running events have been added for inclusivity and enjoyment for all ages.
“There’s now a different course and more ways to participate,” Executive Director Vanessa Berastain said. “There wasn’t a Mini Run for 2-6 year olds or a Friendship Run for athletes with special needs. Plus, the Expo for Education has grown in size.”
Still, many things have stayed the same. At its core, the Run for Education has continued to try to innovate, raise money for SRVUSD and be a longstanding, major community event similar to the Art and Wind Festival.
“To see so many people in the community – so many business people, just everybody from in this area – supporting us, supporting the district and being willing to come out and spend the day or a couple hours, and seeing your neighbors and whatever is so satisfying,” Gee concluded. “The fact that all these people, you may not know them, but they’re here for one cause, and that is to support the district and to support the kids.”
Alpert agreed with this sentiment, adding, “What we like to say is: Come for the run, stay for the fun.”
