A group of area track standouts is set to take another run at the North Dakota outdoor state mile record.
The fourth annual See Dick Run Elite Mile takes place Monday at 8:30 p.m. at Cushman Field, with a fast lineup of area prep and college athletes expected for an event with a history of breaking facility records.
Event organizer Ryan Enerson believes the North Dakota outdoor state mile record is 4 minutes, 7 seconds.
"That's fast but in the track and field world, it's not that fast," Enerson said. "The goal is to get faster times. A lot of people don't realize North Dakota has been a hotbed for distance running. There's a big number of people now running collegiality around the country and this is a way to bring people together for a race."
This year's men's field includes Camron Roehl, a former Grand Forks Central runner. Roehl recently completed his college career at North Dakota State.
ADVERTISEMENT
In May, Roehl won the 3,000 steeplechase at the Summit League Outdoor Championships. He also recently won the Fargo Marathon's 5K event.
The favorite in the men's field, however, might be former University of South Dakota runner Eldon Warner, who was named the Summit League's Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year during the 2018-19 season.
The elite women's field is expected to include former North Dakota State runner Katie Bostrom, who prepped at Fargo South.
Bostrom is expected to be joined by former college teammate Annika Rotvold, a Hillsboro native. Rotvold won the Fargo Marathon's 5K event.
Some of the top high school runners expected to race Monday night are Isaac Huber of Edgeley-Kulm, who won the mile and two-mile at the North Dakota state Class B meet in Bismarck.
On the women's side, Jamestown High School's Meghan Ford is expected to run. She won the mile and two-mile at state as only a sophomore this spring.
"I'm a track junkie," Enerson said. "This is a way to bring some recognition to the sport that I think it deserves."
The Elite Mile event is free and open to the public. It takes place after the Grand Forks Park District Youth Meet. There's a meet and greet with athletes at Rhombus Brewery following the race.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Elite Mile has produced a facility record-breaking performance three years in a row on the men's side and two of the three years on the women's side.
2018 winner Evan Kottsick finished in 4:14.67 last year. The women's 2018 winner, Alexis Zeis of Bismarck, won in 4:59.91.
