High school cross country and track runners are invited to participate in the Dick Lemen Run, which coincides with the 5K Will Rogers Run on the 4th of July.
Student runners from local high schools run under their school’s name and compete for the team trophy. The fastest three individual times are added to determine the winner. The first year of the competition Palisades High edged out Loyola by just 53 total seconds. The second year, Loyola claimed the trophy.
The winner of the 2023 Dick Lemen Perpetual Trophy was Oak Park High School, which is located in the Westlake area. Palisades High School was second.
The top three Oak Park runners were Mark Hodges (18:31), Enzo Crivello (19:12) and Luke Hodges (19:18). The top three Palisades runners were Axel Mammen (17:61), Louisa Mammen (21:19) and Bailey Gair (24.32)
Even though the race is on July 4, students must be registered prior to July 1 with their high school to have the times count. This is open to ages 14-18
The Lemen Run was initiated in 2019 and named after the late Lemen, who was a longtime Palisadian and a track coach at Palisades High for many years. He was also a member of the Ridge Runners, the band of about 20 local runners who originated the Will Rogers Run in 1978. click here.