Diversity was the name of the game Sunday at the Fifth Annual Oakland Running Festival. Family and friends helped cheer on participants of all ages. Runners totaled 9,678 including the full marathon, half marathon, team relay, 5K plus two Fun Runs for kids under 7 or 8 to 12. More than 34 states and eight countries were represented. However, the big winner was a local young man who lives in Temescal. Jesse Cherry was among 905 athletes in the full marathon. He set a new race record of 2:25:14 as he ran by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf at the finish line. My son Rob Nachtwey finished fourth overall and first in his age division. His friend Patrick Madigan finished under 3 hours for the first time.
Running for a Better Oakland is a local non-profit that encourages Oakland students to develop healthy lifestyles through running. RBO trains kids from kindergarten through high school to run in the events of the Oakland Running Festival.
If you are interested in running…volunteering with RBO or would like more info, please visit www.rboakland.org or exedir@rboakland.org
