Salomon announced its partnership with Lake Sonoma 50, the endurance race held near Healdsburg, CA, known for its relentless course and charitable spirit. The race covers the rolling trails that circumnavigate the lake’s Warm Springs arm, accumulating about 10,500 feet of elevation gain over the 50-mile course.
“Salomon is super excited to kick off Lake Sonoma 50 partnership with community runs, workshops and on-site activations leading up to the event on April 13,” says Mike Ambrose, endurance marketing manager for Salomon in North America. “The race is iconic, fast and supports a fantastic scholarship program for the community. This is going to be a great year for the race and we are so proud to be a part of it.”
The Lake Sonoma 50 held its inaugural race in 2008 and features a seemingly endless series of ups and downs through the Lake Sonoma Wilderness Recreation Area. The course is 86 percent singletrack and boasts incredible ridgeline views of the lake, the surrounding hills and bountiful wildflowers. Due to its position as the only 50-mile race in the Western States Endurance Run Golden Ticket series—in which the first two male and female finishers from each race win guaranteed entry into Western States—the Lake Sonoma 50 has become one of the most competitive races in the ultrarunning community.
However, what really sets the Lake Sonoma 50 apart is its spirit of giving. Each year, the race organization, Tropical John Medinger, and Wilson Winery donate the proceeds to charity and have given over $200,000 since its inception. The 2019 event will benefit the Children of Vineyard Workers Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for continuing education to children of Sonoma County vineyard workers.
“Giving back to the local community is a big part of this race. We’re happy to help young people with their education, as well as leverage the great work our local wine industry does,” says Skip Brand, the race director as well as the owner of Healdsburg Running Company. “Partnering with Salomon will help make this event bigger, better and more community-focused than ever. We can’t wait to get started.”
As part of Salomon’s title sponsorship, the brand will partner with the Healdsburg Running Company to host group runs, workshops and product demonstrations leading up to race day. In addition, there will be on-site activations the day of the event to support the race and runners.
