Pumped for community

Organizers have high hopes for this year’s Costa Mesa Community Run, which is coming up in a little less than two weeks.

The event offers 5K and 2K races and a pancake breakfast the morning of April 18 following a newly added night of festivities on April 17.

In its inaugural year, 2008, the fundraiser netted $5,000 for both the Estancia High School Foundation and the Costa Mesa High School Foundation as more than 600 people came to run, but presenters are hoping for more than 1,000 participants this time around.

During the evening celebration, the movie “A Night at the Museum” will be shown on a big screen at Estancia’s Jim Scott Stadium, food will be available from local restaurants and organizations, 45 to 50 local businesses will set up booths, and a couple of bands will perform.

This year, planning began several months earlier, allowing organizers time to advertise in running publications and on targeted websites, said Race Director Dan Joyce.

He thinks the course’s rustic feel as it winds through the dirt hills and sage brush of Fairview Park provide runners a welcome alternative to the typical street course.

“The first year you get the word out; the second year they come back,” Joyce said.

The second year is made easier by repeat sponsors and participants, but the effort hasn’t been immune to the economy, according to Tom Sutros, treasurer of the Costa Mesa Community Foundation, who handles the event’s finances.

“Being the year that it is, it’s a little more difficult [to get donations] than it was last year,” Sutros said.

This time around, Costa Mesa’s elementary schools will reap some of the profits, unlike last year when all the money was split between the two high school foundations. A third of the proceeds will go to the Community Foundation, which will use the money to give elementary schools grants to purchase equipment, Sutros said.

The race is completely volunteer-driven, with time donated by representatives of the schools and foundations as well as City Hall.

Without universal community support, the event could not be done with such a small, part-time staff, said first-time volunteer Linda Sneen.

“Most of us in this group, we all work. We can’t dedicate all our time to this,” Sneen said.

She pitched in despite the fact that she no longer has a kid at Costa Mesa High School.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Costa Mesa Community Run

WHERE: Estancia High School

WHEN: Opening night festivities start at 5 p.m. April 17; registration starts at 6:30 a.m. April 18 with races starting at 8 and 9 a.m.

COST: $25 per 5K runner or $20 per person on teams of five; $20 per 2K runner; $5 for pancake breakfast.

For more information or to register visit www.costamesa communityrun.com.

Reporter ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].