El Segundo TV: Run for Education hits record numbers, bonds father, son

by Amy Lieu

Run for Education is one of the biggest fundraising events in El Segundo.  This year is the first time that they are including the 10K run to the adult 5K and kids 1K and 1/2K run.

Over 2,200 runners registered for the event, which is more than any previous years, Race Director Carlos Donahue said. He also added that the fundraiser surpassed their goal and raised just over $90,000, in which more than $50,000 will go to El Segundo Unified Schools. This is the most amount of money raised to date.

The record for both the amount of time to finish the race also set a record of fastest time: 16 minutes for adult man and 19 minutes for adult women, said Rick Reaser, who is the Race Operations Director.

This year also had over 40 vendors, compared to last year’s 10 vendors. The Expo featured health and wellness booths.

The event also provided special bonding experience for father Jim Boulgarides and son Danny.

Jim is a firefighter in Ontario and his son Danny does not see him very often. The race provided some precious time with his dad.

“It’s really fun because I get to spend more time with my dad ... It’s probably the best thing I’ve done for a long time,” Danny said.

Jim responded while wrapping his arms around his son a little more tightly.

“It’s pretty crazy, it’s making me tear up. I think he is just saying for the camera. It’s sure nice to hear. It’s good. Obviously it makes me feel really good. It was worth the run.”

Check out the video story here. 

The Run for Education organizing committee included the PTA Council and the El Segundo Foundation for Education. This is the first year that the marathon is a premiere race for the USA Track and Field (USATF) Southern California Association Grand Prix Series.