50th-Annual Alumni Race Men's Results
50th-Annual Alumni Race Women's Results

Lewiston, Maine – A remarkable seven decades worth of Bobcat harriers descended upon the Bates College campus Saturday (some for the first time in years) as the institution's storied cross-country program came together to celebrate the 50th annual Alumni Meet.

Before the meet began, head women's and men's track and field coach Curtis Johnson spoke to the attendees.

"I want to thank you all for joining us for the 50th annual running of the Alumni race," Johnson said. "Bates is making a lot of upgrades that we're proud about. The biggest thing I can say is that a lot of this is because of all of you. So, I want to thank you all for helping to celebrate this moment. This is a true testament of the Bates community. How we always give back, we support, we show up consistently. And, regardless of when you graduated, you get a chance to show that you are a Bobcat forever."

Nearly 100 alumni donned the garnet and white and toed the starting line for this historic event, a group speckled with participants from the very first outing way back in 1973.

Jim Leahy '71 dreamed of this moment while still an undergrad at Bates over half a century ago.

"We had been talking about creating an alumni meet for about four years, starting with my junior year. We were instrumental in getting (former coach) Walt Slovenski to start it.  It took a couple of years for the meet to come to fruition, so it took until '73 to have the first one. It's beyond cool. I'm probably more dedicated now in terms of running than I have ever in my life; I'm grateful for the times we all have."

Steve Mortimer '72, a former teammate of Leahy's, seconded his fellow Bobcat when it came to how momentous and special this event was.

"We've developed this ageless brotherhood," Mortimer said. "I was the only cross-country runner in my class. There were only about 10 guys on the team. There was no women's team. And now you've got 30-40 runners out there, it's pretty amazing how that's changed. You've got a lot of excitement and a lot of love for Bates, you want to keep that going."

While passion and pride have remained constants, there has been one striking change to the program this fall. For the first time in its history, the men's and women's cross-country teams will have one head coach. That person is Danny Feldman, who made his debut of sorts at the Alumni Meet.

"I feel like success for any program is based on its community and culture," Feldman said. ""This event shows there are alumni that take this just as seriously as if they graduated from Bates yesterday, and they have been gone for 30+ years! It made me feel as if I'm in a place of people that care about this program and this college. When there is a merging of programs, people are sometimes reluctant to mesh together. It's been a seamless transition. It's as if they have always been training together!"

Sophomore men's cross country runner, Krishna Kakani (Monroe, N.J.), likes what he's seen thus far from Coach Feldman.

"He's great, he really knows what he's doing. It just speaks volumes," Kakani said. "I finished the race and he was just pumping me up. Getting that feeling from the coach is amazing; everyone wants each other to succeed."

Tara Ellard '22, one of the youngest alums to compete in the event, also finds the idea of one coach overseeing both programs to be a unique, but positive experience for the current class of Bobcats.

"It's definitely different, but the coaching staff is well loved," Ellard said. "I'm sure it's going to work great. I think it will really help bond the men's and women's teams even better. I'm excited about it, I think it will be good for them."

Kakani is certainly excited about the restructuring of the coaching staff and the start of the fall campaign this Saturday. However, the opportunity to compete against and converse with the Bobcats of yesteryear did not escape the New Jersey native.
 
"This alumni race is all about soaking it in and getting a lot of experience by talking to each one of them and having a great time," Kakani said. "It's all about commemorating those that came back to Bates. It doesn't end at the collegiate level, it keeps going. It's a lifelong network of great collegiate runners."
Bates opens the 2022 season Saturday as the Bobcats host the CBB Class Wave Races in New Gloucester at Pineland Farms.