On Wednesday, June 12, the Onteora Runners Club Bernie Stahl Night of Miles took place at Onteora High School in Boiceville. This event was started in the 1980s as the Bailey DARE Mile. It was a fundraiser for the J.
Watson Bailey Middle School’s drug awareness program. Over time, it evolved into the Onteora Mile. In 2013, it was renamed the Bernie Stahl Mile to honor Stahl’s lifetime of service to the running community.
In retrospect, that was a fortuitous decision by the club. Bernie was the master of ceremony at the 2013 race and sadly passed away in 2014. It was great that the ORC could honor Bernie and show appreciation for all his contributions at that 2013 race.
This year’s event had 108 participants and was the fourth race in the ORC’s 2024 Grand Prix. One of the Grand Prix’s goals is to allow area runners to experience various running events. There are many opportunities to run a 5K, half marathon, trail, or cross-country race.
However, the Bernie Stahl Mile is the only opportunity for adults to run a competitive mile in Ulster County. I have always found it interesting that many runners who have no fear of running a marathon, 50K (31 miles), or tackling an arduous trail race are hesitant to race a mile on the track. Perhaps it’s because it is short and fast on the “fishbowl” of a track.
The Bernie Stahl Mile is designed to be friendly. First, many competitors see the same people they race throughout the year. Secondly, the mile is run in heats based .