Running with a mission

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The Mission 10 Race on Jan. 31 will be the sixth consecutive year Hollister resident Kolton Klauer will be competing in the event’s half marathon.

In 2025, Klauer, 36, finished first out of 21 racers in the 30-39 age division, and fourth out of 164 racers total, with a time of 1:27:08.

Having competed in nine marathons in the last four years, including the Boston and Chicago marathons, Klauer said the 42nd annual San Juan Bautista race is special to him because it takes place in a familiar environment with familiar faces.

“I can picture the course and I know where people will be,” he said of Rotary Club of Hollister volunteers placed throughout the course. “We exchange hellos and thumbs up because we are used to seeing each other.”

The half marathon course takes runners from San Juan Bautista to Aromas along San Juan Highway and Anzar Road.

Klauer, an engineer who began participating in the Mission 10 when he was 12 years old, grew up being active, playing baseball in high school and college, then competing in an adult softball league before getting into calisthenics. 

In 2016, when a coworker “planted the seed” that he could qualify to compete in races, he began to run a mile each day for a year. 

“For me, it was outside my boundaries and I decided to put time into the sport,” he said.

His running journey took off from there. He ran 1,200 miles last year, averaging more than three miles a day. Now, he tries to run between six and eight miles during his lunch break.

His goal is to run two marathons a year.

“It takes time,” he said. “You have to be dedicated. Anyone can do it, which is what’s cool about the sport.”

At last year’s Mission 10 Race, there were 890 registered runners across the 5K, 10 mile and half marathon events, mostly from surrounding communities along with runners from Utah, Washington and Colorado.

But Klauer recommends avoiding competing against other racers.

“A lot of people get competitive against others,” he said. “For me it’s another challenge to see if I can perform better than the past.”

He encourages community members to participate because the funds go to the Rotary Club, which supports various community needs. They include, according to the Rotary Club of Hollister, college scholarships, youth sports and leadership programs, as well as local nonprofit initiatives and community projects that benefit families, seniors and underserved residents. 

The Mission 10, which encourages runners to wear costumes, also includes a Kids 1-mile run and welcomes “well-behaved dogs” and families with strollers.

The races take place Jan. 31 starting at 8:15 a.m. Race day registration and check in begins at 7:15 a.m. at the San Juan Bautista Mission lawn. Fees range from $15 to $70, depending on the race.

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