Mountain View Nonprofits Participate in Sevathon Run

Volunteers gathered at the crack of dawn Saturday to set up for the third-annual Sevathon at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, a run/walk organized by the  to raise funds for more than 40 Bay Area nonprofit organizations.

The two organizations in Mountain View to benefit are The Khan Academy and the South Asian Heart Center.

At Sevathon, about 2,100 participants chose organizations to support with their participation, as well as the length of their runs—5K, 10K or half-marathon. 

Before Saturday's race, runners and walkers of all ages warmed up to collective stretching and yoga. Afterward, participants took in water, snacks and live entertainment from mostly South Asian dance troupes. 

Sevathon started three years ago with about 120 participants, said volunteer Satya Dixit. This year, organizers announced another Sevathon to be held in Chicago on Aug. 21.

Dixit, a Milpitas resident, calls himself a “universal volunteer,” because he supports many nonprofits in many ways. During Sevathon, he spent most of his time energetically cheering and running next to runners as they approached the finish line. Dixit himself has run more than 20 marathons but has been unable to continue after an injury.

He doesn’t see the injury as a setback. 

“I feel their energy in me—that gives me the motivation to do this forever and ever,” he said. “I get my run and at the same time I help other people. Wherever they see me [afterward], they say, 'Oh, you ran with the runners. That’s what helped me.’”  

Many nonprofit partners had booths at the park with informational displays and pamphlets.

The , founded by Salman Khan in Mountain View, has an online database of 2,437 tutorial-style videos made by Khan. Each 10-minute video covers a wide variety of fields and target a large audience. 

“The goal is free online education for everyone anywhere,” said representative Murali Joshi.

The academy wants to make the videos available in different languages and make the website more global. Khan will work on those, too, but with the help from other organizations, which is one of the reasons the academy chose to participate in Sevathon.

Along with networking for the translation project, the organization wanted to raise awareness and some funds. Joshi said around $750 had been raised, with the money going mainly toward the translation project. 

A wide range of ages participated in the day's event. Ravi Chopra, a 72-year-old San Jose resident, not only placed second in the 5K run for his age group, but also performed with his dance troupe, called “Jollywood.” The group, a part of the ICC, is comprised of those who are 65 and older. They meet weekly for an hour to practice, and twice a week if they have an upcoming performance. 

“Seniors performing with a little bit of energy at this age and stage,” he said, “I think it should better be appreciated, because not everyone can do that.” 

Subhashani Chandra, a senior citizen from Los Altos, walked in the 5K for the third time. She supports the programs at the India Community Center, like the creative writing classes she attends and Gandhi Camp, a youth program inspired by Gandhi’s ascetic lifestyle. 

“Right now, my back is hurting,” she said. “But I will try. Even if I am not able to walk, at least the support is there.”

Chinmay Gowdra, 8, from Cupertino was one of the first ones back from the 10K race he ran with his father, Satish, and placed first among participants of his age group.

What did Chinmay think when he saw the finish line?

“That I was going to win,” he said.

 is the organizer of Sevathon. Patch served as a media sponsor for the event.