> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 10K takes run at healing bay - URL: https://www.smdp.com/10k-takes-run-at-healing-bay/ - Published: 2006-04-22T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T17:39:00.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Environment, Pier, #archive-import *10K takes run at healing bay* SM PIER — Thousands of people next Sunday are expected to run around town in an environmental push to help save Santa Monica Bay — the area’s most precious natural resource and one of the most polluted bodies of water in the region. The first annual Carpe Diem Santa Monica Classic, a 10K and 5K run, will benefit Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental group dedicated to keeping Santa Monica Bay clean. The event will be held Sunday, April 30, in celebration of Earth Month. The race will begin at 8 a.m. at Ocean Park Boulevard and Barnard Way, and take participants from Santa Monica Beach, up Main Street, along Ocean Avenue and up San Vicente Boulevard to 11th Street, and then back. Participants will cross the finish line at the top of the Santa Monica Pier, where there will be an expo, music and a recovery lounge, complete with massage therapists. The race, the only 10K in Santa Monica, is the brainchild of Peter Abraham, who has been on the board of directors at Heal the Bay since 1994\. As a competitive athlete who has had a deep commitment to Heal the Bay, Abraham decided more than a year ago that he wanted to create an event that combined both of his passions. “It all crystallized for me that I had to put Heal the Bay with a sports event,” Abraham said. “There is nothing in Santa Monica and I thought that there should be an event here.” With 20 years of experience producing television commercials, Abraham has delved into extreme sports filmmaking, which led to an interest in sports marketing. He figured that creating an event in Santa Monica that benefited his pet nonprofit would be a perfect fit not only for himself, but for a vast majority of the community which prides itself on being physically fit and dedicated to the environment. The registration fee is $30 prior to the event, and $35 the day of the race. All proceeds go to Heal the Bay. Abraham hopes his event, which he is personally financing, stands apart from others in that there are no gimmicks and it rises to a level well above many community-based runs. “In every aspect, I am trying to elevate the event,” he said. “I’m trying to carry that quality and I hope people will notice and come away from this and say ‘wow.’” That means participants will receive high-quality technical shirts; concierges will be in the parking lot to greet participants; free pre-race Peet's coffee and beverages will be handed out; a free breakfast will be offered and a post-race massage area will be available in the Carpe Diem recovery lounge at the expo. “I want to create an atmosphere that has a certain space and vibe,” Abraham said. “I wanted creative, interactive fun things at the expo.” At the expo, a running gait analysis will be offered at the Phase IV Scientific Training and Performance booth. The analysis assesses stride frequency, foot and leg position at foot strike, knee rise and upper body carriage to determine your most efficient biomechanics. A four-angle videography is used and deviations are isolated by slow motion analysis. Limb length correction, exercises and drills are prescribed to improve efficiency and prevent injury. The expo, held on the pier, also will have a yoga pavilion and demonstrations by Heal the Bay. The city of Santa Monica’s environmental division will have hydrogen cars on display. “This sounds like a great event for us,” said Craig Perkins, director of City Hall’s environmental and public works management department, adding that Abraham approached him more than a year ago to gauge City Hall’s interest in his idea. Santa Monica used to host a half-marathon that wrapped around the city and to the east near Santa Monica College. Eventually, the event was canceled due to logistical problems. But next weekend’s race should be different, Perkins said. “(Abraham) is really passionate about this,” he said. “You couldn’t pick a better locale and course than he picked.” Abraham expects between 2,000 and 3,000 participants at the inaugural event. But he hopes to reach a critical mass by the third annual race, with about 6,000 people participating. “I think that this could be Heal the Bay’s biggest public outreach,” he said. “I think the table is set to do something huge here. I want this to be a community event. “But until the gun goes off, I have absolutely no idea who is going to show up.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 22, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042206.pdf?ref=smdp.com)