With the Summer Picnic behind us and the winners announced, let’s take a moment to look back on all the events from the Summer Decathlon series! Be sure to thank Tim O’Keefe the next time you see him for all of his hard work on this race series, which has been going on since 1990 and has been under his direction since Day 1!

Summer Decathlon Event #1 – 1600m

May 28 is event #1 of the Summer Decathlon Series. The weather is not making the opening race memorable, but it appears to be more of an annoyance than anything. The race is held at Frederick High School beginning at 6:30 p m. Come a little earlier to park and sign the waiver. There will be a 1600-meter untimed warm up run followed by heats of the 1600-meter decathlon event. A kids’ 100-meter fun run will be next up and then finally a handicapped 2-mile run.

You may be soggy but you will have fun!

Summer Decathlon Event #2 – 400m

June 4 is event #2 of the Summer Decathlon Series. We switch from the chilly mist of last week to a blazing hot summer day which will be perfect for tonight’s race – 400 meters! All FSRC members are welcome to come and see how quick they can cover 1 lap. If that isn’t enough excitement, this is also a Grand Prix event AND, thanks to Kristen Burns Watkins of Charm City Running, there will be Ice Cream Sundaes waiting for you at the end of your race!

All the excitement begins at 6:30 p m at the Frederick High School track where there is plenty of parking and a bit of shade on the back stretch. The evening begins with an untimed warm up mile followed by heats of the 400, then a kids’ 100-meter run, and finally the Poker Relay. 4 runners form a team …1 runner does 1 lap, another does 2 laps, another does 3 laps, and finally the last runner does a mile. After each leg each runner gets a playing card plus the team gets one more card at the finish. It doesn’t matter how fast the team runs…highest poker hand wins!

Summer Decathlon Event #3 – 3000m

June 11 is Summer Decathlon event #3 – the 3000-meter run. Seven-and-a-half laps around the track…the perfect run to get ready for the SS8! All FSRC members are invited to join us at the Frederick High School track at 6:30 p m for this fun event. The evening starts with a non-timed 1-mile warm up run followed by heats of the 3000-meter. After that is the 100-meter kids’ fun run and then the highlight of the evening… the mystery run! Teams of three runners will receive an envelope containing numbers 1-3. That number is how many laps you do…you won’t know until right before you run and choose your card. The real fun comes after the race when awards are doled out to the winning teams. Ruth Taylor and Art Gregory are hosting the meet tonight, and they have quite a reputation for having great relay prizes!

Summer Decathlon Event #4 – 1000m

June 18 is Summer Decathlon event #4…the 1000-meter run. You’ve done 5k’s and 8 k’s…now it’s time for a k! At just a bit over a half mile, this tests both speed and endurance. The fun begins at 6:30 p m at Frederick High School. We begin with an untimed warm up mile followed by heats of the 1000-meter, then a kids’ fun run, and finally a 3,600-meter predicted time run. Our host and hostess for the event are Jake Sisler and Johanna Schick who promise fun prizes for the runners with the closest prediction.

All Steeplechaser members are invited to join us…there are plenty of heats for runners of all speeds!

Summer Decathlon Event #5 – 1500m

June 25 puts us at the halfway mark in the Summer Decathlon series and while tomorrow’s event may not be the toughest, Mother Nature is tossing in some hot, humid conditions. Be sure to come hydrated and use the shade on the back stretch at Frederick High School. The 6:30 start time should show some cooling and hopefully the isolated storms will be elsewhere.

The line up for Wednesday, June 25 starts with an untimed 1 mile “warm up” run, then heats of the 1500-meter, a kids’ fun run, and finally the Too Many Two’s Relay – 3 person teams with each person running 8 X 200-meters. If you’ve never done intervals on the track before, here’s your chance!

The event is open to Frederick Steeplechasers members and is free!

Summer Decathlon Event #6 – 800m

On July 2 we begin the second half of the Summer Decathlon series with event #6…the 800-meter run. All Steeplechaser members are invited to the Frederick High School track at 6:30 p m to test your skills at 2 laps around the track. Members of all running levels and ages are invited to jump into one of heats.

The line up for the evening starts with a 1-mile non-timed warm up run, then the heats of the 800-meter, a kids fun run, and finally a 4-person 4-mile relay. The relay allows team members to decide how far they will run each leg as well as how many legs each person will run. Adding more fun to the relay are the prizes awarded to the top finishers provided by our host/hostess Larry and Heidi O’Hara.

Start the 4th of July weekend on the right foot with fireworks of your own on the FHS track!

*Editor’s note – this particular race was cancelled due to stormy weather.

Summer Decathlon Event #7 – 600m

July 9 brings us the Summer Decathlon Series race number 7 at 6:30 p m at Frederick High School. The featured event is the 600-meter run. This is more an indoor track event, but the lap-and-a-half adds a bit of endurance to your speed. The real fun comes at the end in the 3-runner Iron Person Relay. Each runner completes 1 mile, but the catch is that after each lap, you’ll do 10 reps chosen from a list of exercises! Our host and hostess for the evening are Lou King and Harriet Langlois who promise fun prizes for the speediest and strongest teams.

All Steeplechaser members are welcome to this free event. The evening starts with an untimed 1-mile run followed by heats of the 600-meter, then a kids’ fun run, and finally the Iron Person Relay.

It will be toasty, and it will be fun. Think happy thoughts that the evening rains will happen after we are done.

*Editor’s note – this race was also cancelled due to storms and was moved to July 16th.

Summer Decathlon Events #7 and #8 – 600m and 2-mile

This is decathlon events #7 and 8. We’ll start at 6:30 p m with the mile warm up run followed by heats of the 600 meters. Then the kids race and a bit of a break (10 minutes?). Next will be heats of the two-mile. No relay…2 races sounds like plenty for one evening.

We’re at Frederick High School at 6:30 p m on Wednesday July 16. Our hosts for the evening will be Scott and Melissa Wallace.

Summer Decathlon Event #9 – 200m

July 23 at 6:30 p m at Frederick High School is Summer Decathlon event #9…the 200-meter race. All FSRC members are invited out to test their sprinting abilities with this 1/2 lap race. Not only will you have the chance to test your sprinting abilities, but you also have the opportunity to test out some new shoes! Kristen Burns Watkins (the same Kristen who provided us with cold ice cream on a hot June evening!) has made arrangements for ASICS and ON to have demo shoes available for a test run!

The format of the evening starts with a 1-mile warm up run followed by heats of the 200-meter (you will run in lanes) then a kids’ fun run and finally the 4-person 5-mile Gutbuster relay. In the relay each member of the team runs 5 x 400. Your hosts and race directors for the evening are John Way and Paul Christiansen.

The weather looks promising, and the track will be fast! Come and enjoy this perk of being a Steeps member!

Summer Decathlon Event #10 – 1-mile

This is it! The 10th and final race of the Summer Decathlon Series happens on July 30th at 6:30 p m at Frederick High School. The series began with the 1600 meters and now ends with the mile. All Steeplechaser members are invited to join in the fun as we conclude the series. The evening will start with a one-mile untimed warm up run followed by heats of the mile. Then the kids’ fun run will occur followed by the Dog Days of Summer 20-minute track run. Great end of the series prizes await you. It will be a toasty day tomorrow so be sure and hydrate throughout the day.

With the conclusion of the series, age graded scores will be tabulated and awards to the top 10 men and women will be given out at the FSRC Summer Picnic in Utica Park on August 16.