Finish the Ride and Finish the Run

Audrey De Laura
October 27, 2026
4:24 pm

SAFE (Streets Are for Everyone) held its Halloween-themed multi-ride and run event, “Finish the Ride and Finish the Run,” on Sunday at West Creek Park.
The event had multiple runs/walks and rides to participate in for various skills and age levels, such as a 5k and 10k run/walk and a 1k kid and puppy run. For rides, they had 12-, 25-, and 62-mile courses, as well as live music, a costume contest and multiple vendors for attendees to pick and choose from.

Racers line up for the Kids and Puppy run at Finish the Ride and Finish the Run at West Creek Park in Valencia, Calif., Sunday, Oct 25, 2026. Audrey De Laura/The Signal

The event gathered about 800 to 900 people to participate and dress up to help support and raise awareness for SAFE and its message of making sure the streets are safe for everyone.

Racers line up for the puppy section for the Kids and Puppy run at Finish the Ride and Finish the Run at West Creek Park in Valencia, Calif., Sunday, Oct 25, 2026. Audrey De Laura/The Signal

“It shows that people care about wanting to have safer roads,” said Damian Kevitt, the executive director of the SAFE organization. ” We want roads where people are not at risk of being injured or killed just because we’re driving or walking or cycling.”

Kevitt created Finish the Ride and Finish the Run because in February 2013, during a bike ride, Kevitt was in a hit-and-run, causing him to lose his left leg. After four months of being in the hospital, Kevitt got back on his bike and started to advocate for road safety for all users, creating SAFE in January 2015.

Costume Contest at Finish the Ride and Finish the Run at West Creek Park in Valencia, Calif., Sunday, Oct 25, 2026. Audrey De Laura/The Signal

“I ride on a particular regular basis,” said Jennifer Tinnes, who participated in the 25-mile bike event. “But I really believe in what he’s doing with the roads and trying to raise money and his whole story, so I wanted to support that.”
While it creates fun events for everyone to enjoy, SAFE’s priority is also working to make streets safer, through a state policy team that works on legislation and managed to have 70% of its 26 different bills pass their year.

“A lot of people just get together here for that reason,” said Ingrid Aparicio, the event organizer for Finish the Ride and Finish the Run. “Some of them, they get hit by cars, they have accidents, and they just get together for the same mission. We just want to kind of reduce the traffic violence to zero, fatalities to zero and bring awareness to other people just to be careful with the pedestrians.”

To learn more about SAFE, visit www.streetsareforeveryone.org/home.