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Watertown track meet set for Friday at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex
TL;DR
The 60th Watoma Relays track meet is set for April 24, 2026, at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex, with Mark Bellum as the honorary referee. The event has faced multiple cancellations in recent years due to weather and renovations.
Key points
- Mark Bellum is the honorary referee for the 60th Watoma Relays.
- The meet is scheduled for April 24, 2026, at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex.
- The relays have been cancelled six times in the past eight years.
- Weather and renovations have affected the meet's schedule.
- The event is sponsored by the Watoma Club of Watertown.
Mentioned in this story
Mark BellumAllen Mitchell Athletic ComplexWatoma Club of Watertown
Watoma Relays
WATERTOWN — Former Watertown teacher and coach Mark Bellum has been selected as the honorary referee for the 60th Watoma Relays track and field meet.
The meet, started in the 1950s and sponsored by the Watoma Club of Watertown, is scheduled (weather perimitting) for Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex.
The relays haven't been held since 2022 due to a combination of weather and the renovation of the complex. It has been cancelled six times in the past eight years. Meet officials are hopefully the streak ends this year with forecast of temperatures around 50 on Friday.
If Mother Nature cooperates, Bellum will serve as the honorary referee.
Bellum graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, NE in 1982 and attended the University of South Dakota, playing football for four years and running indoor track for three years.
Mark Bellum will serve as the honorary referee for the 60th running of the Watoma Relays track and field meet on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex in Watertown.
In the spring of 1987, he started his teaching and coaching career at Bridgewater as a fifth-grade teacher and assistant girls and boys track coach. That same fall, he took over a sixth-grade teacher at Mellette Elementary in Watetown.
During his 33 years in Watertown, he coached lower-level football, varsity girls gymnastics and varsity girls and boys track.
Bellum served as head coach of the Watertown gymnastics team for 18 seasons, leading the gymnasts to the school's first state championship in 2006.
As a sprint and relay coach in track and field, Bellum coached several Eastern South Dakota Conference, Howard Wood Dakota Relays and state Class AA record-holding relay teams. Bellum served as an assistant coach on eight ESD championship, six state runner-up and Watertown's 1998 state Class AA boys' state championship team.
Q&A
Who is the honorary referee for the Watoma Relays track meet?
Mark Bellum has been selected as the honorary referee for the 60th Watoma Relays.
When is the Watoma Relays track meet scheduled to take place?
The Watoma Relays track meet is scheduled for April 24, 2026.
Why have the Watoma Relays been cancelled in recent years?
The relays have been cancelled six times in the past eight years due to weather conditions and renovations at the athletic complex.
What is the history of the Watoma Relays track meet?
The Watoma Relays track meet started in the 1950s and is sponsored by the Watoma Club of Watertown.
