About The Race
A no-frills, affordable, and fun 4-lap race around the track celebrating its 17th year.
The Inaugural Race
It all started with Carl Stones, our first men's champ, who just missed the cut for the Texas high school state meet. With only 8 athletes per class qualifying, it wasn't like he wasn't FAST - he was blazing! His coach Andy Jackson thought, "Hey, this kid deserves another shot to race!" and boom - "The Schrader 1600" was born!
Chris Schrader himself was ALL IN on having his name attached to this thing - dude even fired the starter's pistol! Meanwhile, DJ Paul Snyder was pulling double duty, dropping beats AND racing the 1600! Talk about a small but mighty beginning.
These OGs went on to do some SERIOUS damage - Paul crushed a 14:07 5k at Columbia (that's FLYING), and Carl became an All-American at Tulsa before making the Steeplechase finals at the 2015 USA Championships. Not too shabby for our inaugural crew!
The Years In Between
Carl, Paul, Coach Jackson, and Chris laid the groundwork, then Paras came in and took this thing to a whole new level! Year two brought absolute FIRE to the track with one of the most stacked 1600m fields Texas had ever seen - we're talking 20+ dudes with sub-4:20 PRs all battling it out!
The PR party wasn't just happening in the fast heats either. The magic of racing shoulder-to-shoulder with your equals was creating breakthrough performances across the board. Take Gleb Rudenko - this guy needed exactly 4:20 to walk on at Florida State, but came in with a 4:26 PR. We dropped him into a heat with similar speedsters, and boom! Dude crushed a perfect 4:20 flat, punched his ticket to FSU, and went on to crush it both on the track and in the classroom.
We've seen literally hundreds of PRs, countless smiles, and so many inspiring stories since then - and trust me, we're just getting started!
Where We Are Today
Holy smokes, we're rolling into the 18th edition of this epic race in 2025!
This isn't just any meet - it's the product of some seriously passionate folks who've been grinding away to create the perfect opportunity for runners of all ages to absolutely crush their 1600m PR. We've strategically sandwiched it between the region and state track meets (typically that first May weekend), and our doors are wide open to anyone looking to fly around the track and have a blast doing it.
We're all about efficiency - a tight 2.5-hour, non-stop running party with practically zero downtime between heats. Trust me, it's the smoothest meet you'll ever experience! Since we're laser-focused on just one event (the 1600/mile), we place you in heats with runners at your level - from 7-minute milers all the way down to those blazing sub-4:10 speedsters. The best part? Every single person has a legitimate shot at winning their heat!
What's This Race All About?
Great question! It's a no-frills (read: affordable, awesome, and fun) 4-lap race around the track. Now celebrating its 16th year, this baby has been growing each time around. So, what exactly is it?
For the past 15 years, we've put on this fabulous race smack dab between the regional meet and the state meet in Texas. Loads of runners in Texas don't qualify for these meets, but with the weather being oh-so-perfect in early May, we've decided to host a meet featuring tons of mile heats.
The only races we offer are the mile. Say your PR for a mile is 5:40 - no worries! We'll group you with other runners with PRs between 5:35-5:45 and make a heat out of it. Same goes for PRs of 7:00 or 4:05. With 300+ runners joining, we'll definitely have the heat for you.
SOUNDS GREAT, TELL ME MORE!
Now that you know why we started this shindig, let's talk about what it's become. It's an amazing race to test your skills against other runners at your level - age doesn't matter. We take your seed time (which you provide when registering) and seed the heats accordingly. From there, we create lists and logically split the heats. Our ultimate goal is for every runner in a heat to have a fighting chance at winning - making for some insanely fun racing!
SO, WHAT'S NEXT? CAN I RUN??
Heck yes, you can race!
We don't care how old you are - in fact, we love seeing impressive performances from all ages (like 10-year-olds running well under 6:00 minutes and 45-year-olds running 4:45). Click that register button up top and sign up!
Race Information
Everything you need to know about the event details, schedule, and logistics.
Event Details
Date
April 26, 2026
Location
Vandergrift High School
9500 McNeil Dr, Austin, TX 78750
Times
Track Open: 4:30 PM
First Race: 5:30 PM
Race Schedule
This is a rolling schedule and we will do our best to stay on schedule.
| Heat | Start Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 05:30 PM |
| 2 | 05:45 PM |
| 3 | 05:55 PM |
| 4 | 06:05 PM |
| 5 | 06:15 PM |
For Athletes
- • The first heat will go off at 5:30PM.
- • Ensure you know what heat number you are.
- • You will check in 20-25 minutes before your heat in the middle of the infield where we will have a table with hip numbers.
- • You need to be ready to go, doing strides, and getting ready to line up on the track when the heat prior to yours is ready to go.
- • For example, if you're in heat 18, you need to be checked in by the time Heat 15 starts and you need to be finishing up and ready to go when Heat 17 starts.
- • Bring your own water (there is a water fountain and bathrooms on site) and we'll have water for sale as well as some water bottles we'll have in a cooler for athlete use only.
For Parents and Fans
- • No cost to attend this year.
- • We will hav concessions this year so no outside food or drink are allowed.
- • Bring lawn chairs. It will be wet and the bleachers will not be fun.
- • Don't bring soccer balls, frisbees, etc. The whole point of race night is racing - and anything going on in the infield is solely for warming up. Athletes are not going to concern themselves with stuff happening in the infield.
Meet Records
Celebrating the fastest times in Schrader 1600 history. We'd love to see these records shattered!
Men's Records
Open Division
4:07.24Daniel Viegra (converted from 4:08.68 mile)
Professional
4:01.91Ricky Romero (full mile)
Women's Records
Open Division
4:50.84Cate Westenhover (1600m)
Professional
4:37.55Sarah Lancaster (1600m)
But most importantly, we want people who enjoy track and want to snag a PR.
So come one, come all, and let's run fast!
Registration
Ready to race? Sign up today to secure your spot in the 2025 Schrader 1600!
Registration Details
Registration is open to runners of all ages and abilities.
Who Can Register
Athletes of all ages — we've had runners from 10 to 70+ years old!
Entry Fee
Affordable entry — all proceeds benefit the local track community. Can't afford it? Email us and we'll make it free no questions asked!
Heat Assignment
Based on your submitted PR — you'll race with similar-speed runners.
Registration Process
Simple online registration through MileSplit.
Important Note
"Obviously, we're not affiliated with the UIL and don't have any impact on eligibility or anything like that. Should you wear your high school jersey? Nah. Just throw on a shirt, some shorts, and come out to have a blast."
Our Amazing Sponsors
These generous sponsors underwrite the costs of our event, helping us maximize donations directly to the community.
Become a Sponsor
Help support this iconic community event and get your brand in front of hundreds of athletes and spectators.
In 2018, the race made a donation that included a surprise visit to Marble Falls HS by Leo Manzano and Ari Perez of Fleet Feet Austin. That video is available to view here.
If you'd like to be a sponsor for the 2024 version of the Schrader 1600, please email paras@paras360.com and he'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Community Impact
Funny enough, we don't make a dime. Literally. None.
We have costs (that our awesome friends graciously help cover), but any extra money we make goes right back to the school! In fact, Paras often underwrites all expenses!