Janet Cain is an inspiration. Fresh from running her 50th marathon in Boston earlier this month, she’s pulled together yet another rendition of the “Club Dave” team to run The Relay on May 2. The race, a 199-mile team relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, has been raising money and awareness for organ donation since 1995.
Cain and her husband Dave, the namesake of the team, have run The Relay eleven times and they are the only consistent entry from the town of Sonoma. Janet Cain has been captain for the past seven years, a feat as critical as the actual running, given the logistics of organizing a team of 12 runners, two volunteers, and a van full of snacks, drinks and gear that doesn’t stop moving for the entire 199 miles.
“Putting all the pieces together is like a military exercise,” said Dave Cain. “But once we’re on the road, it’s an exhilarating experience. It’s a team event and there’s an incredible group dynamic that takes over. Plus, there’s nothing like the feeling of running over the Golden Gate Bridge at midnight for the lucky runner of that leg of the race.”
The Relay showcases the San Francisco area with teams traveling through seven counties as they run from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. As the teams traverse Sonoma Valley, locals are likely to see runners with vans in tow on Napa Road, Leveroni Road, Arnold Drive and up Grove Street through Diamond A. The Grove Street hill is especially famous for its intense incline but rewards the stalwart runner, known as runner number ten, with phenomenal views as he or she enters a private ranch, opened once a year just for the occasion, and journeys down into Petaluma.
“We like to keep runner ten happy since it’s such a tough leg,” said Dave Cain. “One year, he wanted a chocolate donut and we made sure he got one even though it was 3:00 a.m.
The Relay is a fundraiser for Organs R Us. But lacking a major corporate sponsor of late, each team is asked to contribute $600 to the cause, on top of the $80 per head entrance fee.
But back to Janet Cain and her 50 marathons. Running her first in Boston 25 years ago, she proudly says that she’s never walked one step, not even at a water station, and has finished each and every marathon in under four hours. And this is from a woman who had surgery for a debilitating foot injury some years back.
“Running is my therapy,” said Janet Cain, herself a Ph.D. psychologist. “It has seen me through some tough times in my life and it’s what keeps me sane. And The Relay is so important because it raises much needed awareness about organ donation. “
“We’d like to ask drivers in Sonoma to please be respectful of Club Dave and the other 299 teams as they run through on Valley’s roads next weekend,” said Dave Cain. “Show them some down home Sonoma hospitality so that they can be safe, have fun and do their best.”
To donate to Organs R Us or the Club Dave team, please contact Janet Cain at 707.938.2646.
