The 12 Days of Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis; Day 11 - Run, Gary, Run!

December 4, 2016 |

On December 12, Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis will be leaving elected office after 10 years of service. To mark the countdown to his last day in office on December 14, we are counting down the last days of his service by looking back as different aspects of his political career in Elk Grove.

At first glance, the title of today's installment might lead readers to believe that we would be looking at any of Davis' five campaigns he has conducted in the last 10 years in Elk Grove. While we could look at his two city council campaigns, two for Mayor, and his abandoned campaign in 2009 for the U.S. Congress, today's focus is literally about running.

We of course are referring to what is perhaps the Mayor's crowning achievement of 10 years in elected office in Elk Grove - the establishment of the annual Running of the Elk Half Marathon, or as it has come to be know, ROTE.

ROTE is held every spring on the streets of Elk Grove and has become one of the area's premier running events. The popularity of the event has helped put Elk Grove on the running map, and it has attracted major sponsors like Kaiser Permanente.

The brainchild of Davis, ROTE was established to help fund the Elk Grove Youth Sports Foundation, which Davis also had a hand in founding. The EGYSF helps cover the costs of at-need children in Elk Grove who want to participate in any of the numerous youth sports leagues in the city.

As a fundraiser, the ROTE depends on an all-volunteer staff to stage the event with all proceeds going to the EGYSL The EGYSL in turn ensures children in the community who want to participate in youth sports are not excluded for economic reasons.

Now that's the sort of run that is A-OK - Run, Gary, Run!