Masters nightmare? Dream meet going to sleep.
Four years ago, we were giddy to report how
Jeff Laynes at 41 ran 6.38 in the open 55 meters at the Run for the Dream indoor meet in Fresno, which featured a slate of masters events. Now we’re grumpy. The meet may be dead,
says the Fresno Bee. “The annual Run for the Dream indoor meet that has brought a handful of elite track and field athletes, numerous college programs and hundreds of youths and teens to town will not be held this year – if ever again,” the paper says. “Event organizers were unable to obtain desired dates in a timely fashion to hold the Run for the Dream at Save Mart Center this year. Then as organizers continued to search for feasible dates, Fresno State loaned out its indoor track for use as a warm-up track at the upcoming IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Ore.”
Also reported:
What also remains unclear is what will happen to the track once the IAAF World Indoor Championships conclude. The championships are scheduled for March 17-20. …
The indoor track was donated to Fresno State by the late Fred Arnold, a track and field enthusiast who was friends with [meet director Bob] Fraley and spent $1 million to customize a track to go inside Save Mart Center.
The Run for the Dream has been held for nine of the past 10 years (skipped in 2007), the past eight using the custom track.”
Bummer.
3 Responses
RIP–Coliseum Relays, Compton Relays, West Coast Relays, Sunkist Indoor Invitational, L.A Times Indoor Invitational, Jack in the box Indoor Invitational and now the Run for the Dream Indoor Invitational. Just another nail in the coffin for BIG TIME track and field meets in the state of California.
I hope that the meet will return in the future. Indoor track in CA is a bit of a luxury as we can run outdoors in the winter.
What a disappointment. The track at the Save Mart Center is lighting fast–I had the pleasure of running on it at the Run for the Dream meets in 2011 and 2012. The meet directors were always very friendly and accommodating to masters athletes. I hope it returns in future years.
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