“It is a lot of fun to go fast!”

“It’s fun to share the pain of a hard workout with like minds!”

“The track meet was a ton of fun!”

Suffice it to say, the 4th annual Ann Arbor Track Club Winter Mini Meet held December 14, 2010 at the University of Michigan Indoor Track was – as articulated by respective participants, Paul Mayer, Heather Huggins and Rachel Ingle – fun!

“I really enjoyed organizing this meet,” shared chief organizer, Stani Bohac.  “We put on a good meet where participants could challenge themselves at Track and Field distances while maintaining the welcoming and supportive atmosphere of our Tuesday night workouts.”

When Bohac took over as adult coach and organizer of the AATC Tuesday evening workouts in 2007, he recognized the need for a local organized all-comer track meet.

“We ran all these interval workouts, but most of us never had the opportunity to test our fitness at distances less than 5K.  I decided that for two of the workouts each year, one in the winter and one in the summer, we would run a mini track meet.”

Though “still a casual little meet” the event has seen continual growth especially with the help of AATC board member, Terry Reilly, and other devoted track club members who willingly volunteer their time.

Despite a ‘pre-winter’ storm which made road conditions slippery and hazardous even days after its onset, 50 dedicated athletes braved the elements to toe the line and give it their all.

Six events were offered including the newly featured 60m dash, and a special 200m Youth Challenge was available for children.  Participants who competed in all six events received honorable mention.

Heather Huggins, overall champion of the women’s 1600m and 3200m events, in her respective times of 5:51 and 12:36, appreciated the opportunity to compete in the shorter distances.

“People often ask me how fast I run a mile, and I generally don’t have a clue!  I was pretty content with my times though Susan Messinger and Joselyn Anderson wouldn’t let me get farther than a split second away from them!”

Point in fact – an easygoing, enjoyable event should not be confused with a noncompetitive, untalented field of athletes.

Bohac “enjoyed seeing the wide range of running forms,” and professed, “There’s more than one way to get around a track fast!”

Those in agreement with Mayer in that “it’s exciting to compete in a short, fast event” may wish to take part in the Track Club’s Tuesday night workouts to prepare for the club’s Summer Mini Meet, typically held in June.

For more information on club workouts and upcoming mini meet opportunities, please contact Stani Bohac at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Complete results for the 2010 Winter Mini Meet can be found under the event portion of the website.