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It’s that time of year again for residents to lace up their favorite running — or walking — shoes for the Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation’s 14th annual Pleasanton Run for Education.
The popular family-friendly event, which takes place next weekend, is one of the nonprofit’s biggest fundraising events of the year. In 2025, the event raised about $100,000, all of which went toward the Pleasanton Unified School District, according to PPIE Executive Director Andrea Wilson.
“Our signature community event draws thousands of people throughout Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley to raise much-needed funds for our schools and have fun doing it,” Wilson said in a press release.
This year things will be a little bit different, as the courses and other events will all start at Pleasanton Middle School, rather than the Alameda County Fairgrounds where they had taken place in the past.
Every year PPIE works alongside sponsors and volunteers to put on the event where the Pleasanton community comes out to run or walk in the name of raising money for PUSD. Last year, Wilson said there were about 2,300 participants.
In its press release, the PPIE recognized longtime sponsors like Workday and others who continue to help bring the Run for Education to life.
“Workday, deeply rooted in Pleasanton, is proud to support the Pleasanton Run for Education for over a decade now,” Carrie Varoquiers, chief philanthropy officer at Workday, said in the PPIE press release. “This event invests in our local schools and aligns with our commitment to help elevate human potential and unlock opportunity for all.”
The 2026 Run for Education will start and end in the Pleasanton Middle School front parking lot on the side near the new track and field, which was recently renovated and modernized thanks to funding from the $395 million Measure I bond that voters approved in 2022. Wilson previously told the Weekly the newly redone field and space allows the organization to use PUSD’s own schools and assets, which is one of the main things PPIE aims to fund through these events.
“And, we get to do a modified new route which still goes downtown, which is helpful to bring in new runners and make it exciting to change up the course,” Wilson said.
According to the nonprofit, the 10K race will start at 8 a.m. next Sunday (April 19) and will take runners along the Marilyn Kane Trail and Pleasanton streets for about 6.2 miles. The 5K course and 2-mile walk will then start at 8:10 a.m. and will be more of a family friendly route that takes participants through downtown Pleasanton.
The quarter mile fun run kids’ challenge, which starts at 9:15 a.m., will also take place on the school’s new track.
Once the races are finished, each participant will receive a T-shirt and a finisher’s medal and be invited to the post-race expo that will feature music, food, entertainment and an award ceremony. The expo will take place on the newly renovated basketball and pickleball court areas at Pleasanton Middle School.
To enter the races, participants must pay a fee that ranges from $17 to $45 — 100% of those process will go toward Pleasanton schools, according to PPIE. The organization is also calling for volunteers ages 18 years and older to serve as a course marshal who will cheer on runners while also guiding them along and making sure they stay on the courses.
For more details and to register, visit www.runsignup.com/PPIERun.
