The runners pounded out miles on dirt trails, gravel roads and sidewalks ringing public parks.

They launched themselves over hurdles in carpeted hallways of the school, sometimes crashing into the metal lockers during practice.

One family even used materials from the hardware store – irrigation pipe – to construct a makeshift hurdle to practice in their backyard.

These kinds of stories compelled a community to come together and build the only publicly available track in a five-county region, as part of a larger athletic complex celebrated this week at Ridgway Secondary School.

The organizers who dreamed of the Cimarron Athletic Field project started with a soccer field plagued by problematic irrigation and patches of dead grass, in a sunken area east of the school.

After three years of hard work, research, fundraising and construction, they celebrated a new synthetic turf soccer field, an eight-lane all-weather track and track and field amenities including high jump, long jump, pole vault, discus and shot put.

The Cimarron Athletic Field opened this month, after five months of construction, and has already hosted its first events – a middle school cross country meet and the first soccer match the Ridgway boys have been able to host at home since 2019. Though the soccer game had a short rain delay, the weather rewarded the crowd with a double rainbow stretching over the new field, across the craggy mountain skyline.

Photo courtesy Ridgway School District/Adi Gardiner

That auspicious sign came up during speeches for the field’s dedication on Monday night, in which Ridgway School District Superintendent Susan Lacy recounted how a small group of determined parents spearheaded the project and helped the school make it happen.

The idea to renovate the old soccer field started almost three years ago, when Ridgway’s new athletic director, Shawnn Row, said he wanted to fix it.

Parents who heard about his idea approached him with a more ambitious proposal: If the school was going to dig up the field, why not add a regulation-sized track and make it usable for more sports? A $3 million idea grew bigger, with FIFA-approved artificial turf and a track large enough to host regional meets.

A team formed to fundraise, plan and coordinate efforts to engage the community and local governments. In less than two years, they had the majority of the funding secured, with contributions from not only the school, but the town of Ridgway, city of Ouray and Ouray County.

The Ouray School District also contributed $100,000, helping make the project possible and also securing an agreement for its athletes to use the facility for training.

In the end, the fundraising committee raised $3.7 million – with 12% from private foundations, 33% from private donors or companies and about 50% from state and local governments, according to Leslie Chang, the parent of two Ridgway Secondary School runners. She and fellow committee members, including her husband, Peter Hessler, and parent Amber Cornell spent years approaching donors, having conversations, applying for grants and attending meetings to obtain the funding.

“It was basically my job,” Chang said.

In one case, she and Hessler drove almost 500 miles to Wray, nearly at the Kansas–Colorado border, for a 15-minute presentation at a meeting for a chance at a state Department of Local Affairs grant. It was risky, since the agency rarely awards funding to schools, but their application earned $1 million.

The project is still short by about $300,000, and the organizers had to forego certain amenities due to cost. Those included bathrooms and new bleachers – estimated to cost around $500,000 – as well as a playground, concessions area, and a shaded area with seating.

Students and adults celebrate by trying out the new track surface at the Cimarron Athletic Field after a ribbon cutting celebration on Monday night. Supporters are planning to host a community 5k race in November. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

The committee is still accepting donations at cimarronathleticfield.com to make that part of the project possible. And they’re still engaging the community, planning on a 5k race at the track in November.

But on Monday night, supporters didn’t focus on how the bathrooms weren’t built yet, or that the playground was missing. Instead, they celebrated the fact that this whole project came from nothing, built by a community supporting its youth.

A crowd of about 200 people gathered to celebrate the project, with some taking a lap on the track themselves and bending down to feel the new artificial turf. They gave speeches about how the field serves as a symbol of unification – not only between sports but also between schools, providing opportunities for students across the region.

Hunter Patton, 12, races his dad, Brian, on the track at the new Cimarron Athletic Field after the ribbon cutting celebration on Monday night. Brian Patton serves on the Ridgway School Board and was part of the committee that worked to build the project. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

Both Ridgway and the combined Ouray-Silverton team’s runners have built their programs in recent years, and boast some of the top up-andcoming runners in the state. Last year, the Ridgway girls track team earned a state title in the 4×800 relay race.

“We did that without a track, so now expectations are way high,” Row said.

“It feels good, especially knowing it’s ours,” said Emery Cornell, a 15-year-old runner on Ridgway’s cross country and track teams.

Until now, Emery and her teammates have trained on dirt and gravel paths along roadways, trying to avoid cars, or on harder surfaces, not recommended due to risk of injury.

“It was hard to find spots,” she said, adding she already notices a tremendous difference, running on the track surface compared to how they trained before.

“Compared to running on concrete, it feels like you’re bouncing,” she said. “And you can use spikes.”

Members of athletic teams were accustomed to cramming six or seven kids at a time into vehicles and driving across town, to a park near Solar Ranch, for games and practices.

Ridgway Secondary School students Henry Deppen and Sophia Scranton cut the ribbon during the dedication ceremony for the new Cimarron Athletic Field project on Monday night. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

While Cornell said she’s excited about the new running surface, she’s also happy that it’s located so conveniently – students no longer have to drive to practice in Olathe, on another school’s track more than 45 minutes away, once a week. It also means their classmates can walk over to the field after school and come cheer for them on at the athletic field and the school can host regional meets. She’s hoping it will boost school spirit and interest in sports.

“The support is going to be amazing,” Emery said.

Kelly Croke walks the new track with her son, Shane, who is almost 2 years old, after the ribbon cutting celebration Monday night at the Cimarron Athletic Field at Ridgway Secondary School. Croke, a former Ridgway Elementary School teacher, coached the Ridgway middle school girls track team before moving to Norwood, and returned to celebrate. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer