Running can be a lifelong activity, one that comes with long-lasting relationships.

An event that started at Northern Lehigh — and now includes Palmerton — aims to promote both.

Searching for a way to reconnect and reunite with teammates and coaches from the past, the idea of an alumni event for former runners was born in the 1990s at Northern Lehigh.

It has taken place ever since at Northern Lehigh, and in recent years brought in Palmerton to create a fun and unique cross country alumni challenge.

The inspiration for the event came during Bulldog great Bob Chandler’s time at Bucknell University, and he had help from plenty of friends to start something similar in Slatington.

“One of my teammates at Bucknell from McDowell High School came to a summer run and talked about just having his high school alumni race,” recalled Chandler. “And I thought, ‘That’s kind of a great idea. It’s a way of going back.’”

And giving back, which is just as important for Chandler, who won a PIAA Class 2A cross country state title in 1992 at Northern Lehigh, and was inducted into the school’s Ring of Honor in 2008.

“I always thought the great thing about running in high school is that it’s a lifelong sport,” said Chandler, who graduated from Northern Lehigh in 1993 and is currently the distance coach for track at Bellefonte High School. “It’s not something you give up, or have to give up after you graduate high school. It’s something you can do for the rest of your life. And this is just kind of a way of showing that you can be 30, 40, 50 years old or whatever age and still be out there running. And what I have found in my life is that everywhere there’s runners, there’s camaraderie, it’s easy to make friends, and runners are always very accepting of new members into the group. It’s been great.”

The examples that have been carried forward by the likes of Chandler carry on the lessons learn and the influences of former Bulldogs coach Dave Oertner, who was instrumental in putting the events together each.

It also serves as a tune-up for current runners, who are able to take the course alongside the alumni.

“We always kept it very informal,” said Oertner. “We would just tell the kids we were going to give them a time on this course, and we don’t score it. We just want them to see where they’re at to start the season. It’s the end of the first week of practice that I always did it. The whole idea was to see where they’re starting from, and see where we could go the rest of the season.

“And by having the alumni out there, it sort of gave them something to run after. But then we were able to get together afterward. And that’s something I really enjoy, especially since I’ve retired, because I miss seeing the people. It’s neat.”

Oertner retired as Northern Lehigh’s cross country coach following the 2020 season and after 39 years and well over 1,000 victories leading the program.

His legacy is unmatched, and one current Bulldog cross country and track and field head coach Mike Lehtonen wanted to make sure he carried on,

“I took over soon after COVID and I was trying to give Dave (Oertner) a little bit of a farewell, and try to pump it up with alumni to really try to make it back,” said Lehtonen, who wanted to add to the event by bringing in Palmerton. “Because I didn’t feel like he got the proper send-off as much during the COVID season and things like that.

“But it started with those guys (Oertner and Chandler) and they thought doing this was really cool, and maybe it adds a little bit to it.”

The Bombers were happy to oblige.

“When I first started coaching, Mike Lehtonen messaged me about having a sort of scrimmage or practice race for the kids to get them a little bit into race mode and see some kids that they haven’t been running against,” said Bombers’ mentor Mike Horvath. “We started doing it at Northern Lehigh for the first time three years ago, and he said we’re also going to have some alumni show up, so they had their guys there and we had some Palmerton people come out.

“And then I mentioned to him last year that maybe we could alternate it, and have it at Palmerton and Northern Lehigh.”

This year’s version will take place on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. and be held at Palmerton for the first time. All graduates from both schools are welcome to run the Bombers’ cross country course, which is now at the high school, to rekindle the rivalry and help their team prevail. There is no cost or preregistration required. Those interested simply need to attend.

“Hopefully we get a good turnout,” said Horvath. “We usually get a decent amount of alumni to show up. I’d say there’s usually around 15 to 20 people that come out, and then Northern Lehigh’s team and our team. So it might be around 50 or 60. It’s a cool neighborly thing to do.”

And one Lehtonen hopes resonates with all involved.

“Sometimes you miss the things that you all of a sudden don’t have, and for alumni coming back, it’s maybe something that in the moment, when they were in high school, sometimes you don’t always appreciate things as much. Then you come back and there’s this plethora of memories and things that you accomplished and the work that you put in and the friendships that were made along the way,” Lehtonen said. “Sometimes you have funny stories you share, and you really find the meaning in things later in life. Sometimes you are going through the motions with school or practice or that kind of thing, but later on you look back and find out just how special things were, or what you accomplished. It’s just a lot of smiles, I guess.”

And it’s an event that endures because of the people that made those memories and moments matter. And it’s an opportunity to set an example for members of each team’s current roster.

“It’s good for the kids. As a high school coach, you want to do things that are good for the kids and help prepare them for life,” said Oertner. “And I think seeing these other people, and many of them that come back are successful outside of school. They go on and become engineers and doctors and lawyers, and they’re coming back to run. They are busy, but they still make time to come back.

“When they come back, it’s just awesome to see them. It sort of validates what I did for a career. People always worry about wins and losses and things like that, but that’s not the priority when you’re coaching. You want to win and you want to teach kids how to win, but I think the relationships I’ve made is awesome. To see them come back, and they show appreciation, but I’m appreciative of them. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”