The second Race for the Rock, benefitting Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, will take place on June 5. Participants will pedal, scoot and wheel their way through downtown Sacramento guided by text message-based clues in search of over $35,000 in prizes, provided by Rogers Jewelery Co. Each week leading up to the event, we will interview someone who is involved in the race to find out who their "rock" is.

Interview with Chris Suter, SFBFS volunteer and contestant in last year's Race for the Rock

Who is your "rock" and why?

I would have to pick my sister, Emily. Simply put, she is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. Somehow, she effortlessly balances an engineering workload at a top Ivy League school, career internships, and a full social schedule. Also, she is the most wonderfully sweet person you could ever hope to know. She’s seven years younger than I am, but she’s who I want to be when I grow up.

Have you ever been anyone else's "rock"?

A close friend of mine recently lost someone dear to her. Looking for distractions and fun she turned to me, and never one to turn down the opportunity to spend time with her I was more than happy to oblige. Despite her loss, she was able to put on a brave face and have a good time whenever we hung out. She would later tell me how much our time together during this emotional period meant to her. It was a sad time, but this has definitely brought us closer as friends.

What are your thoughts about last year's Race for the Rock?

The event was fantastic! It was so much fun. My teammate Chris and I were fortunate enough to place second amidst some tough competition, so that was a bonus.

What is your role with this year's Race for the Rock and/or Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS)?

Chris and I will be participating again. Being a competitive pair, we already have the standard of last year’s performance to live up to, but now some of our friends have dubbed us as the “pre-race favorites” so we’ll have that pressure to deal with, too. Thanks guys.

How long have you been supporting SFBFS?

I’ve been involved with SFBFS since the summer of 2007 when I met Genevieve (Saca Center Director). As we became closer friends I started volunteering at their events like Run to Feed the Hungry and Broker Punt Pass and Kick. For the past year, as I was unemployed, I volunteered a couple times a week with their Adult Education and Mother Baby programs and also was given the opportunity to lead some of their bigger events like Adopt A Family and the Turkey Drive.

If you are participating in this year's race, what are you looking forward to the most?

A great day of fun, racing hard, avoiding some of the mistakes we made last year, and seeing if we can’t take that one step up to the top of the podium. But mostly just going out and having a good time.

What is one thing about SFBFS the public might not realize but should know?

That SFBFS is more than just food. While that is technically the name of the organization and they do it extremely well, their true quality and value shows through in the ability to engage the community. My time there has really shown me how much the community can benefit from well-planned events and programs done by staff that truly cares about their clients.

For more information and to register as a participant, please visit www.racefortherock.com.

Also, visit the Sacramento Press "Race for the Rock" page