COMPETITIVE COACHES — Martin County West cross country coach Stannetta Svoboda (left) and Mountain Lake running mentor Kyle Blomgren battle during the final stages of a retro Fairmont Community Education & Recreation Summer Run’s 5-mile race on the Fairmont High School campus. The Summer Run will kick off with the 5-mile run at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 29, at Bob Bonk Track in Fairmont. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells/Sentinel Archives)

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Community Education and Recreation’s 44th annual Summer Run is around the corner, and expect a loaded field of runners to take part.

All races start and finish on Bob Bonk Track at the Fairmont High School campus.

The field always consists of former and current Fairmont runners, as well as families like Sagedahl, Peters, Neusch and Gudahl just to name a few.

The event features a 5-mile run, 2-mile run/walk, a half-mile run and a quarter-mile run.

“It’s the longest continuing run in the state,” said CER director Stephanie Busiahn. “It’s a great family event. We see a lot of families move away and come back to sign up for the run. It’s nice to see the support. We have adults move away, start families of their own, and come back with their entire family (adding mom and dad) to run in this.”

As of July 10, Busiahn said only seven people have signed up for the 5-mile run, four for the 2-mile run, four more registered for the 1/2-mile run and 15 signed up for the 1/4-mile run. Despite the low numbers, Busiahn said she expects a lot more people to register for each of the four different races the morning of the run.

She said last year they had 28 people for the 5-mile run, 28 for the 2-mile run, 12 for the 1/2-mile run and 11 people for the 1/4-mile run, which is comprised of the younger runners.

In the 7 and younger age group for the 1/4-mile run, record holders are Eric Determan and Addison Toothaker with times of 1:33 and 1:34, respectively.

Carter Hanson and Allie Engebretson are the record holders for the 8-9 group in the 1/4-mile run with times of 1:20 and 1:26, respectively.

Carter Simmering and Kennedy Becker have the male and female records in the 11 and younger group in the 1/2-mile run with times of 2:58 and 3:11, respectively.

In the 12-13 group in the 1/2-mile run, record holders are Kolton Larson and Audrina Suckow, who ran the course in 2:32 and 3:02.

In the age 15 and younger groupm in the 2 mile, South Dakota State University runner Andrew Moeller has the best time at 10:56, and Morgan Larson has the female record at 12:51 for the same age group in the same race.

Male and female record holders in the 16-19 age group for the 2-mile run are St. Olaf College runner Penn Sagedahl and Augustana runner Laura Thompson with times of 10:19 and 12:17, respectively. Two-mile record holders in the 20-29 group are Penn Sagedahl in the male division with a time of 9:58, while Kaia Jones and Hadassah Peters share the female division’s fastest time of 14:31.

Two-mile run record holders in the 30-39 group are Isaiah Peters and Jennifer Feely Bromeland at 11:25 and 12:02, respectively, while record holders at 40-49 in the 2-mile race are Joel Sagedahl and Holly Neusch at 11:41 and 14:05, respectively.

Record holders for the 2-mile run in the 50-59 group are Brian Craig and Holly Neusch at 12:49 and 13:57, respectively, and record holders in the 60-69 group are Stew Murfield and Harriet Lunz at 13:29 and 18:31, respectively.

Record holders in the 70 or older group are Sherwood Sagedahl for males at 14:25 and there is no female runner in this age group in the 2-mile run.

For the 5-mile run, record holders in the 18 and younger group are Luke Pierson and Laura Thompson at 27:04 and 31:55, respectively, and record holders in the 19-25 age group are Dan Ristau and Jennifer Feely at 25:24 and 30:39, respectively.

Record holders in the 26-32 group are Todd Landgraff and Lana Wegner at 25:50 and 32:06, respectively, while record holders in the 33-39 group are Mike Henze and Jennifer Bromeland at 29:23 and 32:36, respectively.

Keith Abels and Stannetta Svoboda are the record holders in the 40-46 group with respective times of 30:23 and 34:13, and Joel Dudgeon and Svoboda hold the records in the 47-53 age group with times of 30:49 and 34:58, respectively.

Mark Determan and Svoboda have the records in the 54-60 group with times of 32:30 and 37:34, and Craig Mueller and Margot Madsen set the records in the 61-69 age group with times of 34:44 and 54:53, respectively.

Sherwood Sagedahl and Madsen set the records in the 70 and older group with times of 39:27 and 54:10, respectively.

The schedule of events is as follows: 8:30 a.m. for the 5-mile run; 9:30 a.m. for the 2-mile run; 10 a.m. for the 1/4-mile run (9 and under); 10:05 a.m. for the 1/2-mile run (13 and under); and 10:15 a.m. is the awards program.

Awards will recognize the top two in each age and gender category for the 2-mile run/walk and 5-mile run.

First-place winners receive a plaque and second place receives a medal.

Medals are given to the top two places in each age group and gender in the 1/4-mile run and 1/2-mile run.

Race-day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, July 29, at the football/track fieldhouse on the Fairmont High School campus and closes 10 minutes prior to each race.