There were 24 schools and approximately 200 students with disabilities participating, including students from Durango, the Southern Ute Tribe, Ignacio, and Montezuma and Archuleta counties.
Volunteers from community organizations helped run the event, including attending the starting line and finish line. Local groups also donated medals and bandanas.
Billy Bowker is a former Escalante teacher who started the games to offer students with disabilities a joyful field day experience.
Students ran, walked, biked, or turned their wheelchairs into racing vehicles as their loved ones pushed or ran alongside them.
Nearly all the runners sprinted down the track with giant smiles on their faces.
The Bowker Games welcomes donations, in-kind contributions, and volunteers at this annual event, which is generally held in mid-April at Escalante Middle School. For information, email Billy Bowker.
Watch a video of the Bowker Games and an interview with Karen Bowker, Billy's wife and a reading and math interventionist at Florida Mesa Elementary School.