An all-day health and wellness festival, called the Safeway Fast & Furious Festival, will take place in downtown Pleasanton on Aug. 7, with a 5K Run/Walk, according to a press release.
This is the event's first year.
Nearly 2,000 runners, walkers, strollers and dogs are expected to take to the streets of downtown in this run that will include prizes and awards for the top three finishers in each age group division.
A 1-mile open follows the 5K. Dubbed the “Mile of Truth,” the open features 100 elite runners competing for a portion of $1,500 in cash and prizes during this race that starts under the arch on Main Street.
Criterium-style bicycle races are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. The day concludes with an all-out, under the lights, high-octane men’s and women’s professional bike race with the winners taking home the inaugural Fast & Furious championship title and their share of the $10,000 cash prize purse.
It ends at 9 p.m.
Nationally acclaimed announcer Chad Andrews, who calls races on the USA Pro Cycling tour, will be calling the 5K and 1-Mile races as well as the criteriums.
Throughout the day, spectators, competitors, families and friends will be able to enjoy the wellness and lifestyle expo, which will feature local and regional health care vendors, lifestyle companies and specialty product manufacturers. Local merchants and restaurants will also have special offerings for those in attendance.
The event is an all-day wellness and lifestyle festival designed to bring the world of cycling and running together in one place while at the same time highlighting the charm of downtown Pleasanton.
Katalyst Events, LLC has partnered with the city of Pleasanton and the Pleasanton Downtown Association to host the festival, powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group.
Chris McCrary and Kevin Magna, co-founders of Katalyst Events, said that the choice to bring the festival to Pleasanton was easy.
“True ‘downtown’ bike racing is virtually non-existent in the world of cycling," they said in a press release.
"Typically, participants have to race in business parks, providing no benefit to the local economy.” They added, “the downtown allure is the perfect destination for racers and spectators alike.” Their intention is for people to “come early and stay late to support local businesses.”
A portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
In 2010, McCrary’s friend, Pete Zucker, an avid cyclist and triathlete and member of the Wells Fargo Cycling team and Forward Motion Race Club, was diagnosed with ALS.
McCrary says, “Pete’s fight has provided us with the inspiration and motivation to devote our efforts to a cause much bigger than the sport of running or cycling. We are committed to raising funds and awareness about ALS. We are essentially no closer to a cure than we were more than 70 years ago when Lou Gehrig fought the disease.”
Katalyst Events has developed a fundraising initiative for Pete’s Sake to provide athletes competing in the races an opportunity to donate to support the Blazeman Foundation and Auggie’s Quest to fund ALS research.
In addition, Katalyst Events will donate 10% of its net proceeds to these foundations.
Registration
Registration for the 5K, 1-Mile open and criteriums is available at www.fastandfuriouspleasanton.com.
For more information about Downtown Pleasanton, please contact the Pleasanton Downtown Association at 925-484-2199 or visit www.pleasantondowntown.net.
