Members of the San Quentin 1000 Mile Running Club continued their journey to better health and honored their member Ralph Ligons at the 15th Annual Eddie Hart-Ralph Ligons Track Meet.

Over 60 runners, nine outside volunteer coaches, and hundreds of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center residents gathered on the Lower Yard June 13 to participate in the event named after Olympic gold medalist, Eddie Hart and co-founder of the running club.

Wearing an Olympic Gold Medal from 1972, Hart, 76, addressed the crowd, saying, “This track will help a person find out a lot about themselves. Individual unique qualities needed to succeed in life, like determination and perseverance, can be found right here.”

The day included multiple running events that consisted of seven distances, from the 100-meter dash to a one-mile run.

Everyone waited in anticipation on a sunny morning and as the runners approached the starting line, volunteer Coach Jim Maloney signaled for the races to begin. An excited crowd shouted encouragement across the yard.

After completing the one-mile event, club member and resident Patricio Gonzales, 57, said his talks with Coach Hart had inspired him to accomplish his goal.

“He’s my secret weapon,” Gonzalez said, “I found strength from his words of advice and it helped me get to the finish line.”

Ligons and Hart have been friends since high school and ran on the same track team for years. They were also roommates at the Olympic village during the 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich, Germany where Hart won a gold medal in the 4×100 relay.

Not able to attend the event due to a scheduled surgery, resident Ligons later said Hart had taught him everything he knew about running. He said runners would often spend a lot of time training and sometimes they would have to persevere through pain and injuries to achieve their goals.

The winner of the event’s One Mile event, resident Jose Fajardo, 44, said he enjoyed the progression of the distances at track meets throughout the year.

“I like the whole experience of being in the club,” Fajardo said. “We see the coaches every other week and receive different workouts, disciplines, and training techniques that help us get ready for the big race.”

He explained the gatherings inspired him to continue to train and motivated him to focus on the challenges added to each meet. The goal is to help prepare all the runners for the 26.2-mile marathon in November.

One runner approached Coach Hart right after the One Mile Run, saying, “I left it all out there on the track, Mr. Hart, and I have nothing left to take back to my bunk.”

Hart conveyed he would continue to uplift the runners and always encouraged them to succeed.

“That’s what I mean when I say this track molds you,” Hart said. “It brings the best out of people.”

The winners and times of the day’s events included: 100-meter dash — Jacob Coleman with a time of 13.27 seconds; 200-meter dash — Chris Moore, 27.83; 4×400 relay — Wuilliam Campos, Jose Cuevas, Jacob Coleman, and Jose Fajardo, with a time of 4 minutes, 51 seconds; quarter mile — Jacob Coleman, 1:05; half mile — Ignacio Gutierrezmarian, 2:59, and one mile — Jose Fajardo, 5:09.

The over-50 category organized only one race. Junior Roberts, 50, won the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.84.

After the race, club members thanked head coach Jim Maloney and the volunteer coaches for their continued support that made the event possible.

Husband and wife coaches Tim and Diana Fitzpatrick said the track meets not only showed the commitment of the runners to achieve personal goals, but also remained a testament to the runners’ desire to find redemption. “That literally happens out here on the track,” said Diana Fitzpatrick.

All the runners and coaches gathered under the scoreboard to hear the final words of the event.

“It takes guts to run at a track meet,” Coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “Good job for putting in the work, good job for showing up, and good job on you all for a job well done.”