Ribbon cutting for Mammoth track this Saturday

Mammoth Lakes will celebrate the new track and field facility at Whitmore Park on Saturday, Nov. 17 at noon. A brief program will precede the ribbon-cutting event that will be followed by an inaugural lap around the new facility. Everyone is invited and light refreshments will be served after the program. Also, according to Andrew Kastor, President of the High Sierra Striders, swag will be given out to the first 100 people that show up to the event.

For the past 5 years, the High Sierra Striders, Mammoth’s local running club, has led the effort to bring a 9-lane, high-performance, all-weather polyurethane running track and top-notch synthetic turf infield (for football and soccer) to the communities of the Eastern Sierra. Construction of the project, managed by the Town of Mammoth Lakes, began on July 9 and will conclude this November. The new facility will be operated by the Town and will be open to all throughout the year as weather permits.

It will also be announced that the High Sierra Striders, a local organization promoting health and fitness through running for the past 7 years, is merging with the Mammoth Track Club, the professional running club that has produced numerous exceptional elite athletes who represent the US in the Olympics and other championships on the world stage. Operating under the Mammoth Track Club name, the newly merged organization’s goal is to create the ideal high-altitude training center in Mammoth Lakes while supporting athletic and academic achievement, developing athleticism and promoting health and fitness through running for athletes of all ages (youth through masters) and all abilities (recreational and elite).

(Photo courtesy Kastor)