The oldest road race in the Midwest will be followed by an anniversary party for the state’s first running club on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Brookings.
The 57th running of the Jack 15 Road Race begins at 8:30 a.m. in White and ends 15.2 miles later in front of the Campanile on the South Dakota State University campus. The 50th anniversary of Prairie Striders Running Club will be observed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the South Dakota Art Museum, which is just north of the finish line.
The Jack 15 follows county roads on a course similar to the one run by SDSU cross country team members in 1963, the race’s premiere. Prize money is offered for the top three male and female placers – $200 for first, $100 for second and $50 for third. All entries will receive a long-sleeve, moisture-wicking T-shirt and all finishers of the 15.2-mile run will receive a medal.
There also are relay team options for five-, three- and two-member teams.
Online registration is through allsportcentral.com. Early registration prices are valid through Aug. 31.
A free kids run, which also includes a T-shirt, will be held at 10:45 a.m. at the Campanile.
50th anniversary details
The anniversary party is open to everyone in the community. It will feature SDSU ice cream, cake and door prizes as well as an 11:30 a.m. program with key Prairie Striders leaders past and present.
Dellas Cole, of Brookings Radio and a race supporter in the 1980s, will serve as an emcee for the panel, which lists:
• Bob Bartling, charter member and 1970 president, lifetime involvement;
• Jay Dirksen, former SDSU coach who called the first meeting and was the unofficial leader in 1970s;
• Lou Eggebraaten, first female president 1980-81;
• Tom Bezdichek, president 1985-94;
• Matt Bien, president 2003-09, marathon director 2007-present;
• Shari Landmark, president 2010-12, longtime race director.
The club’s history dates to an organizational meeting Sept. 12, 1969, in the basement of the Barn, the nickname for what was then the athletic department gym at South Dakota State University. Leading the efforts were Bartling and Dirksen.
Dirksen would go on to be the longtime track and cross country coach at the University of Nebraska. Bartling’s athletic shoe store in downtown Brookings was the club’s headquarters for decades. He continues to oversee the club’s extensive library, which is housed in the Briggs Library Archives on the SDSU campus.
For more information: www.run@prairiestriders.net, run@prairiestriders.net or call club president Dave Graves at 627-5718.
