Benefield: Empire Runners’ summer track series has lanes for all abilities

Caryl Chlan, 59, promised to talk to me after her race.

But after the part-time Cazadero resident crossed the line after the 200-meter sprint, she was so busy high-fiving her nearest competitor, Kerry Hanlon of Santa Rosa, it was difficult to break into their fun.

“That was better than I’ve been in a while,” Hanlon, 43, said while trying to catch her breath.

“That was tight, you found something extra,” Chlan added, congratulating Hanlon for her finish-line push.

“I was like, ‘No you don’t!’?” Hanlon said.

“I’m like 20 years older than you - no respect!” Chlan said.

The women continued to high five.

Such is the competition - and camaraderie - at the decades-old summer track series meets held by the Empire Runners club.

“This is one of my most favorite track series ever. All of the ages, the fact that they run it like clockwork,” said Chlan, who ran the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters as well as the mile.

On Tuesday night at Santa Rosa High School, an estimated 300 athletes and supporters turned out for the second installment of a five-meet summer series. A toddler wobbled across the line of the 100-meter dash in one race, while professional runners sprinted around the track in a blur just a few minutes later.

That’s just the way organizers, and participants, like it: all comers welcomed.

“It’s to get kids interested in running,” said John Harmon, the director of Empire Runners’ cross country program.

Every summer stretching back into the 1980s, Empire Runners has hosted the series. The club links up with an area high school track program that opens its facility, provides volunteers and then earns proceeds from a snack bar and a club donation.

“It’s a lot of volunteer work,” Harmon said. “They earn their money for sure.”

The youngest participants get encouragement and a real-life race setting, and older runners get official times and a serious workout. The meets typically include the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters, as well as the mile and an additional distance event and relay. Athletes are put in heats according to ability, and off they go.

“We have 2-year-olds to 80-year-olds,” Harmon said. “We had a 72-year-old run a 64-second 400 (meters). He was smoking.”

The final three installments of the series are July 7 and 21, and Aug. 4. All meets start at 6 p.m. and all are at Santa Rosa High School. Club members pay nothing, others pay $10 for the whole series.

“There’s not a lot of support for track and field, but here everybody has a love for the sport,” said Santa Rosa High alum and newly minted Sacramento State University grad Reesey Byers. “It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are; everyone comes out and everyone has a good time.”

Byers, who recently signed a professional running contract with Brooks/Strava, said his Tuesday night results matter - results always matter - but promoting runners of all abilities is a highlight. It’s not often that runners of Byers’ caliber share space with area elementary and middle schoolers.

That said, it didn’t look like too many of the elementary school set cared much that prep superstars Rylee Bowen of Sonoma Academy or Nicholas Rauch, a recent Casa Grande High grad, were working out on the track Tuesday night. They just wanted to hear the starter’s gun go off and fly.

“I like to run. I’m doing triathlons, so it’s a good training, too,” said Jessica James, 11, of Windsor. “I like to sprint sometimes. I can let out all my energy.”

While the “gun thing” is a bit loud, racing on a track is exciting, said Maya Cardona, 7, of Santa Rosa.

“It’s like racing in the real race,” she said.

That’s nothing to sneeze at, said Gerald McCormick, 33, of Santa Rosa.

A former collegiate runner who can still rip off a sub-5-minute mile, McCormick said road races and fun runs are easy to find, but an organized track meet with time and heats and an enthusiastic crowd? It can’t be beat.

“This is one of the only places for people outside of high school or middle school to get on the track,” he said. “And it’s a very welcoming place. Everyone gets cheered on whether you are the first one in the race or the last one in the race.”

Some of Tuesday evening’s competitors were too young to know if they were first or last, but the cheering crowd let them know they were winners.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield.