After a year's break, Run for the Dream looks to be bigger and better than ever.
Nov. 6, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. -
Armed with a new indoor track designed for Fresno State and the Save Mart Center, the 2nd Annual Run for the Dream returns to Fresno bigger and better than ever.
The Run for the Dream on Monday, January 21, 2008, will be operated under time constraints to feature three independent track meets over the course of the day. Fresno State's indoor track & field team hosts Hawai'i, Cal Poly and CSU Stanislaus to open the day followed by some of the best high school track & field athletes in the "California High School Dream Team Championships." The day will culminate with "USA versus the World," a professional track meet on the Visa Championship Series circuit, which will be aired on national television.
"The Run for the Dream will help build back the tradition of the San Joaquin Valley," said Bulldog Track & Field coach Bob Fraley. "This massive event will help bring track and field back to the highest level."
Run for the Dream, brainchild of Fraley, took a hiatus last season because of a delay in construction of the new indoor track. The inaugural Run for the Dream in 2006 was such a success that it resulted in a $900,000 donation to support track & field with an indoor track specific to the Save Mart Center.
"This track meet is for anybody who is a fan of athletics," explained Paul Ladwig, Associate Athletics Director for Broadcasting and External Relations. "The very best athletes in the world will be competing here and it will be a fun event for all ages to enjoy."
The events will kick off at 9 a.m. with the collegiate athletes. A break will follow and then the high schoolers will take over. The high school meet is meant to honor the best of high school athletes with Northern, Southern, and Southern California athletes going head-to-head for the "Dream Team Championships."
The final meet of the day, the Visa Championship Series of "USA versus the World" will follow the high school talent. Some of the best athletes in the world, including Olympians and World Record holders, will compete as the United States takes on athletes from all over the earth.
"This is going to be a once and a lifetime event that we hope will grow world wide," said Ladwig. "Run for the Dream is a coo for the community."
