Funds needed for “Sam’s Fountain of Youth”

The Dipsea Race Committee and the Dipsea Race Foundation are encouraging Dipsea runners and lovers of the Dipsea Trail to make tax-deductible donations to a $65,000 project to construct a much-needed water fountain at the top of Cardiac Hill, the highest point on the Dipsea Trail, to honor the late Sam Hirabayashi of Mill Valley.

The fountain, dubbed “Sam’s Fountain of Youth,” will memorialize Hirabayashi, who last ran in the Dipsea Race in 2010 at the age of 83. Sam held eight age-group records in the historic 7-mile trail race from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach and, in 2005, was named the winner of the Norman Bright Award for “extraordinary effort in the Dipsea Race.” He died in 2011.

Sam married 1989 Dipsea Race champion and Dipsea Hall of Famer Eve Pell at the top of Cardiac, 1,360 feet above sea level. He embodied all that is good and great about running, racing, and living. A favorite of every runner he ever met, Sam famously smiled while training and competing -- sharing the joy that he brought to the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. A man who aged with extraordinary grace, Sam loved everything about running, especially the Dipsea Race.

Cardiac stands as the signature spot on the historic Dipsea Trail. It requires effort to get there, a long climb that leaves runners, hikers and cyclists hot and thirsty, yet Cardiac offers a panoramic view of Marin’s magnificent headlands and the Pacific Ocean’s vast sweep. This magical spot has everything except … a drinking fountain!

Construction plans for “Sam’s Fountain of Youth” call for digging a trench through bedrock for the pipeline down from Pantoll Station.  As soon as enough money has been contributed, construction will begin with a goal of completing the project by Sunday, June 9, the day of the 103rd running of the Dipsea Race.

Tax-deductible donations (I.D. No. 68-0405142) can be made payable to the Dipsea Race Foundation, a 501, C-3, non-profit, with the notation “Sam’s Fountain” and mailed to the Foundation at P.O. Box 10, Mill Valley, CA 94942.

Click here for a printable flyer.

For more information, call (415) 331-3550.