October 22, 2004

7th Annual Silicon Valley Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 31

Benefits Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital Foundation

The 2004 Silicon Valley Marathon®, Half-Mara-thon and 5K Run/Walk—taking place on Halloween, Oct. 31—begins in downtown San Jose and includes almost 16 traffic-free miles on the beautiful Los Gatos Creek Trail before ending in Discovery Meadows, site of the finish line celebration.

Proceeds of the event will benefit The Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital Foundation. Brandi Chastain, a board member of the Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital Foundation (SVCH) and US World Cup and Olympic soccer star, is the honorary chair of the event.

The marathon features three separate adult races with one special charity section for children. Beginning at Almaden Boulevard near Park Avenue the marathon and half-marathon start promptly at 7 a.m. The full course goes through Willow Glen onto Los Gatos Creek Trail, through Vasona Park and continues on the trail across Old Town Bridge looping through Los Gatos and retracing the run back to San Jose to finish in Discovery Meadows. Runners will receive a T-shirt, poster and prize bag.

The 5K run/walk starts at 7:30 a.m. and also ends at Discovery Meadows. Registration for this race includes a free T-shirt, program and sponsor prize bag. The children’s races start at 10 a.m. at Discovery Meadows with six races scheduled depending on the age of your child.

Registration for children is $25 each with $10 of that going to Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Participating children will receive their own race number, a goody bag, poster and a finishers’ medal.

“The Silicon Valley Children’s Foundation fills a crucial need in our community, and I’m excited about our new association with The Silicon Valley Marathon. I want to encourage everyone to join us on Halloween for a great race in support of a great cause,” said Chastain.

Founded in October 1999, the SVCH Foundation is dedicated to creating a local, easily accessible community-based hospital focused on the healthcare needs of children while supporting their families. Along with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the SVCH Foundation plans to build a new children’s hospital in San Jose—currently the largest U.S. city without such a facility. 

You can get involved by participating in the event, volunteering on the event day, making a fully tax-deductible donation to the hospital, or coming out to cheer on the runners. For more information or to get involved, visit the Web site www.svmarathon.com or send a note to info@svmarathon.com. Details on the Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital Foundation may be found at www.svch.org.