Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1182230
Downtown Dining restaurant group, for creat- ing a family-friendly event with a civic focus. "You can run. You can walk. You can bring the baby or the dog. When it's over, everyone goes to Rio Grill for brunch and prizes," she says. "Tony has an attitude of gratitude and a com- mitment to supporting very worthwhile non- profits. He celebrates everyone who comes to this event, and that's why participants keep coming back." Tollner traces the event's origins to the early 1990s, when he was a Family Resource Center board member. The nonprofit struggled to make payroll, so he suggested a New Year's Day run that would generate funds for the group. "We didn't make much money that first year—I think that Rio Grill actually made a donation to extend the impact—but it took off from there," Tollner says. These days, between 1,200 and 1,400 individ- uals register in Rio Grill's Resolution Run every year. Five- and 10-kilometer courses spotlight local landmarks such as Mission Trail Park, the Carmel Mission and, for long-route runners, Scenic Road and Carmel Beach. After complet- ing the course, par ticipants are invited to brunch at Rio Grill. Just hours after ending busy New Year's Eve dinner shifts, restaurant team members return to set up registration tables and cook for hungry LaMothe credits Tony Tollner, managing partner of Rio Grill and the Downtown Dining restaurant group, for creating a family-friendly event with a civic focus. Tony Tollner thought of a New Year's Day fundraising event in the 1990s when he was on the board of Family Resource Center. Eileen LaMothe is about to run in her 30th Rio Grill Resolution Run. Founder Tony Tollner (right) is managing partner of Rio Grill. 150 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 9 Photo: Wayne Capili Photo: Kelli Uldall