Run Every Street In Pleasanton? These 2 Women Did

PLEASANTON, CA — So you think you are a serious runner? How about running more than 355 miles in one city in about 20 months? Two tenacious Tri-Valley women did just that, and they are about to complete the incredible running challenge they accepted in 2015. Betty Taylor and Sarah Holtzclaw will run the final three miles of their “Run Pleasanton” challenge on Oct. 1.

“It’s been wonderful to see all the parts of the city that you never knew were there,” said Taylor. “While going up and down all the streets, we’ve been able to compare architecture, landscaping and painting themes from neighborhood to neighborhood.”

Pleasanton has more than 200 miles of streets, and the two runners have covered more than 355 miles in 60 different runs since they started the ambitious undertaking. The runs vary in distance from about 4 miles to 10. Starting on the west side of town, they ran the foothills and progressed east.

“Cul de sacs and some streets were what we call a 'tag and turn,' meaning we had to run them twice,“ said Holtzclaw. “It was a fairly complicated process to make sure we covered each and every public street.”

Taylor and Holtzclaw, who got the idea from a friend who ran every street in Dublin, have now visited every neighborhood in Pleasanton. Joined by various friends they call “the Tri-Valley Running Chicks,” the two often had lots of (motivated) good company.

“We had a great group of at least 15 friends who joined us at various points in the challenge,” added Taylor. “Some even braved the downpours of last winter to join us.”

They will finish their last 3 miles this weekend and welcome other runners to join them. They will start at 8 a.m. Fleet Feet parking lot downtown and pass under the iconic Pleasanton arch.

Photos courtesy Sarah Holtzclaw

Photo 1: Betty in the blue hat, Sarah in the green.