2025 SCHRADER 1600

It all began with Carl Stones, our first men's champion, who just missed qualifying for the Texas high school state track meet. With only 8 athletes per class making the cut, his coach Andy Jackson thought, "Why not create our own epic race?" And thus, "The Schrader 1600" was born!

The legendary Chris Schrader embraced the honor with open arms, even firing the starter's pistol with dramatic flair. DJ Paul Snyder brought the beats and the speed, racing alongside the competitors while somehow managing his playlist. Talk about multitasking! Notable alumni from this first race include Paul, who blazed a 14:07 5k at Columbia University, and Carl, who became an All-American at the University of Tulsa and a Steeplechase finalist at the 2015 USA Championships. Not too shabby for our humble beginnings!

Carl, Paul, Coach Jackson, and Chris laid the foundation, but then Paras swooped in like a track superhero to elevate the event to legendary status! The second year exploded with one of Texas' most competitive 1600 fields ever, featuring over 20 speedsters with personal records (PRs) of 4:20 or better. PRs were shattered left and right in every heat, showcasing the pure magic that happens when competitive runners chase each other around an oval!

Our favorite success story? Gleb Rudenko needed exactly 4:20 to walk on at Florida State University, but his PR was stuck at 4:26. After being placed in the perfect heat with just the right competition, Gleb crushed it with a 4:20 finish! He went on to thrive both academically and athletically at FSU, proving that sometimes all you need is the right race at the right time!

We've collected countless PRs, ecstatic faces, and inspiring stories since then, with many more incredible moments waiting to be written in 2025!

2025 marks the 18th edition of this absolutely thrilling race! 🎉

The current meet is the result of passionate track enthusiasts and a relentless drive to give athletes of ALL ages the chance to run their fastest 1600-meter race ever. Scheduled for April 26, 2025, we welcome anyone with a pulse and a pair of running shoes who's eager to fly around the track and have an absolute blast doing it!

We've perfected the formula for a 2.5-hour, action-packed extravaganza with minimal downtime between heats, resulting in what many call "the smoothest meet you'll ever experience." By focusing exclusively on a single event (the mighty 1600/mile), participants are strategically placed in heats with similar PRs, ranging from estimated finish times of around 7 minutes all the way down to blistering low 4 minutes. The best part? Every single competitor has a legitimate shot at winning their heat and experiencing that glorious finish line triumph!