Im going to plug one of my favorite races and no, I dont get a complimentary entry due to the widespread exposure that only Planes, Trains & Automobiles can provide. Ha!
In fact, Im not going to be able to do the 2009 Mission 10 this year but maybe you, dear running reader, can go in my stead. Ive run this race 3 times over the years (1992, 1996 and 2007) and enjoyed it each and every time.
The marquee event is a 10-mile, modified keyhole-type course. (A 5K run and 1-mile kids fun run are also part of the event.) Mostly its along flat, gentle country roads but midway through youll enjoy a haul up a steep road and then right back down. The landscape is classic Central Coast of rolling hills with oaks and flat valley land dotted with farms.
Start and finish for the race is right next to Mission San Juan Bautista pictured above. On another occasion Im going to post about little San Juan Bautista. It is one of my favorite places, and it has changed little in the more than 40 years Ive been acquainted with it.
The Mission 10 is a terrific small town race (about 200 finishers in the 10 mile in 2008) that is now in its 26th running. The event is put on by the Hollister Rotary Club to benefit Rotary community service projects.
Useful links:
– Download an entry form .
– Register on-line at The Scheule.com
You can get accommodations right in San Juan Bautista at either the Posada de San Juan (very close to start but more expensive) or the San Juan Inn (maybe a quarter-mile away but less expensive). Chain-type hotels are available in nearby Hollister.
San Juan Bautista is about 45 miles south of San Jose and 2 miles off of U.S. 101. It would also pair well with a weekend spent in Monterey as it is only about 30 miles from there.
Here’s a suggestion for a post-race activity: check out San Benito Countys little wine industry. There are some good wineries in the beautiful Cienega Valley south of Hollister. Click here for information about the wineries.
