For Rick Stern, the sight of thousands of residents converging on the Palo Alto Baylands for a night of running, strolling and socializing has become a regular feature of civic life.
A member of the Kiwanis Club for the past four decades, Stern and other members of the local Kiwanis chapter are part of a small army of volunteers who support Moonlight Run & Walk, the annual race in the Baylands that raises money for local nonprofits and that will take place on Oct. 3.
Hours before the races begin, Stern and dozens of other volunteers set up shop in the registration area where they hand out bibs and T-shirts to the over 1,000 runners and walkers who participate every year. The race, which is sponsored by the Palo Alto Weekly, starts and ends at the Bayland Athletic Center, 1900 Geng Road, and includes a 5K walk, a 5K run and a 10K.
“You see everyone you know in the community. You see people you haven’t seen for a year,” Stern said.
The Kiwanis Club is one of many local community groups and businesses that contribute to the success of Palo Alto’s premier race year after year. Moonlight Run is now in its 41st year and Stern has been helping with registration for about the past three decades, he said. The event gives members a chance to connect to local residents while fulfilling its mission of community service, he said.
“It’s one of those things that comes up, and we take care of it,” he said. “If you look around the country, it’s the volunteers that keep a lot of things going. And we think we’re the tip of that.”
Other groups also contribute in ways big and small. The Oshman Family JCC handles the pre-race warmup, while youth volunteers hand out water at stations around the Baylands.
In some cases, they go well beyond the call of duty. In the 2023 race, a young race volunteer helped revive a runner who had a medical emergency while running a 10K. The volunteer, Graham Sine, administered first-aid training that he learned with his Scout troop and performed CPR on a runner whose heart had stopped until emergency responders arrived with a defibrillator and restored his heartbeat.
Local businesses also chip in: Hobee’s brings the coffeecakes, House of Bagels supplies the bagels and Country Sun serves up oranges for runners to snack on after they complete their races. Visitors get Connoisseur Coffee and volunteers get pizza courtesy of Pizza My Heart.
The annual run benefits the Weekly’s Holiday fund, which distributes grants to nonprofits supporting both kids and families and local journalism. Through the fund, community members have contributed $11.3 million to local nonprofits, including $705,000 earlier this year. Recent recipients include East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring, Youth Community Services and East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring.
The Oct. 3 events will kick off at 7 p.m. with a dog-friendly 5K walk. The 10K is set to start at 8:15 p.m. and the 5K run will begin at 8:30 p.m.
The event will also feature a climbing wall and food trucks from The Cookout Fish & Chips, Twister Food Truck and Oaxacan Food Truck.
Registration on race night costs $65, with registration beginning at 5:30 p.m.
