Track news from the area

1. Thanks to Mr. Bucket for pointing out to me the front page story a few days ago in Dutchess County's Finest Daily Newspaper about the fact that Poughkeepsie High School will be getting a new track.

The old Poughkeepsie High track was, for years, just an asphalt oval. Some years, there would be lane lines, others not so much. Now, the track will have an actual track surface, with lanes, etc. Good stuff.

During my tenure as a Marist runner back in the 1980s, the PHS track was our main workout venue. I did some of my best workouts on that old tar 440-yard track, and it was also the site of my near-miss failed attempt at breaking 60 seconds for the quarter (it's a funny story ...)

Anyway, congrats to the district for doing this, and for Matt Cameron, the former Marist men's lacrosse coach who is the AD at PHS. Matt's a good man, and he does a great job with the Pioneers' athletic program.

2. In Friday's Poughkeepsie Journal, the lead story in the Mid-Hudson section was that Arlington High School will be getting its track resurfaced. The Arlington track is probably the best high school facility in the area. Keeping it up-to-date and fresh is always a good thing. Good for them.

3. My running buddy Fast Tony confirmed my suspicion that the new dorm being built at Dutchess Community College is indeed on the site of the soccer field and track at DCC. Once again, back in the day that old cinder track was the site of long-ago workouts for us in the 1980s.

About a decade ago, the DCC track was resurfaced with an odd colored, asphalt-like substance with narrow lane lines, and it was inexplicably lengthened to more than a quarter-mile (I have wheeled it several times, and I think the distance per lap is like 454 meters; coach Horton can correct me, I'm sure). Anyway, apparently that old DCC track has seen its final days.