Manning Field on track for summer running

This summer, Parks and Recreation will sponsor two track programs — adult and youth — at Manning Field. They will begin the first week of June.?It should be a real fun event,” adult track race director Bill Mullen said. “Most of us, including myself, probably didn?t run track. If (they did), it was a long time ago.”The adult program, which is free, begins on June 2 with a 10,000-meter run at 6:15 p.m.A day later, on June 3, the youth program starts, also at 6:15 p.m. and also with no entry fee. There are seven possible events for youngsters, from the 30 meters to the mile.?It?s a fun thing,” youth track race director Joe Abelon said. “A big stadium, timed by computer, your name?s in print (for race results). It?s on multiple days. You can look at your progress. It?s not roster-limited. Everybody can have fun and enjoy the experience.”He said he hoped that youth participants would register early by emailing [email protected] pitched the idea of an adult track program to Abelon and asked if there was a track that could be used. Abelon called Parks & Rec director Lisa Nerich “right away,” he said, “and she bought right into it. She?s a good promoter of activities in the city.”Abelon also suggested the youth track program, and both programs will get their run this summer. He said that John Kasian of Economic Development/Youth Services was helpful with scheduling.Mullen envisions the adult program as a complement to the current running options of road races and Lynn Woods cross country runs (he is the race director of the latter).?The Woods folks regularly found running later (in life),” he said, “for whatever reason – a way to stay fit, recreation, somebody talked them into it. Many start on the roads, then they do road races, then the Woods, where you discover trails.”He said he sees the track as “the third leg. Often runners did not experience this in high school. They had no chance to compete in a race. They?ll do speedwork once in a while but the race will be different. The races on the schedule are different.”Unlike a high school meet, which might include a quarter-mile or half-mile, the adult summer track programs are geared toward longer distances, such as the 10,000 meters (25 laps) and one-hour runs.While Mullen said that “We are going to do one week with a more traditional set of distance races, half-mile, mile, two-mile,” he added that many runners “wanted to do events that are more long-distance.”There is a chance for a new US record at one event, the USA Track and Field-New England 1-hour run championships.?Potentially, a current good female runner from New England might have a chance to break it,” Mullen said.The program is seeking not only runners, but also volunteers to count laps.?Each runner will be assigned a lap counter,” Mullen said, and their duties will include tracking “what lap was run, the times as you go, who?s in the lead, who?s going to win.”He said that it can be difficult for runners to track their own progress around a track.?Four or five laps, you lose track,” he said. “You don?t know if it?s a mile or five miles.”Good luck to the organizers with their program … and who knows, maybe I?ll be among those running laps at Manning this summer.