They said it with their participation and in the colors of their shirts.

The effort to Save High School Sports in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District received its biggest community boost last Sunday at Newhall Park when over 2,000 people turned out for the inaugural 5K Run/Walk sponsored by United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation, the fundraising and support group headed by Clayton Valley High School athletic director and Clayton resident Pat Middendorf.

Event organizers originally hoped to attract 1,000.

participants. By last Saturday night they closed off advance online registrations at 1,221. On Sunday they ran out of the 2,000 runner/walker numbers they had printed due to all the walk-up registrants. Former Clayton Valley High star Nathanael Litwiller, who ran an 8K race the day before for his Sacramento State team, returned to Newhall Park to win the competitive 5K race in a time of 16:10. The course was modified to be less hilly than the normal layout used for meets, CVHS cross country coach Michelle Howisey explained.

But Sunday wasn’t about winning times. It was about the community coming together to demonstrate their resolve to save high school sports at the six MDUSD high schools – Clayton Valley, College Park, Concord, Mt. Diablo, Northgate and Ygnacio Valley.

It was the colors of those schools (red and blue for Clayton Valley, purple for College Park, green and gold for Concord, red and green for Mt. Diablo, crimson and gold for Northgate and navy blue and gold for Ygnacio) proudly worn by athletes from every sport and their parents that stood out on the beautiful fall morning.

There were football jerseys galore along with shirts for cross country, water polo, basketball, wrestling, tennis, golf, volleyball, swimming, soccer, track and field, baseball, softball, lacrosse and sports medicine – all jeopardized by lack of funding.

Last spring, the MDUSD board, facing the need to make severe budget cuts, took the extraordinary action of eliminating funding for these extracurricular activities that draw a participation of over 5000.

Superintendent Dr. Dick Nicoll not only helped sponsor the event with a $500 donation but was also a runner, finishing amongst a large group of runners, including many students under his charge.

The major benefactors who provided the UMDAF with it’s initial $100,000 seed money, Steve and Debra Gonsalves, were part of the walk following the competitive run.

“Unbelievable” was the first word out of Steve Gonsalves mouth while surveying the large turnout after he completed his walk in a group that included Clayton Valley High football coach Herc Pardi and his wife Roxanne.

The Fun Run and Walk included dogs, strollers, parents and grandparents and a wheelchair contingent from Stonebrook Healthcare Center escorted by Concord High football players. Former Oakland Raider tight end Jeremy Brigham spoke to the assembled crowd before the run explaining how high school sports enabled him to get a scholarship to the University of Washington and then the opportunity to play pro football. He is sponsoring a celebrity golf tournament Nov. 12 to help fund UMDAF efforts.

Based on the $20 entry fee and the amount of sponsor pledges turned in by high school students prior to race day, it’s likely the event fundraising exceeded $50,000 as the UMDAF continues one step at a time to reach its requirement of raising $1.2 million to ensure every high school sport takes place this school year.

For more information on UMDAF and upcoming events visit www.unitedmtdiabloathletics.org.