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Runners go the distance at Frank Kelley Invitational

ATTLEBORO — Sometimes when a pandemic creates unforeseen barriers, you have to become creative when trying to make something happen.

When it seemed as though the Frank Kelley Invitational was in danger of being canceled this year, James Fletcher began pulling strings to ensure the meet would carry on.

When the Woburn cross-country coach was finished with his side of the job, hundreds of athletes from across the state of Massachusetts made their way to Highland Park in Attleboro, a grueling 3.1-mile course with endless peaks and valleys.

The event was a complete success, and Fletcher was proud to help honor Kelley’s memory.

“I think (Kelley) would absolutely love it,” Fletcher said. “He always loved cross country as a sport. He loved track and field as a sport, and he was all about kids. He was always about giving kids an opportunity, not only to grow as athletes, but to grow as people, and what better microcosm, where we’re not only teaching kids, and giving the experience to run, but giving them the experience of being responsible human beings. Obeying social distancing guidelines and being better in that aspect of their lives. I look at this as a two-fold atmosphere.”

Kelley, a longtime coach at both Reading and Wilmington, passed away five years back after a battle with an illness. The meet was named for him prior to his death, and has become an annual event.

Normally, the race would be held at the Wrentham Developmental Center, a popular, wide-open field for most cross country meets. However, the venue was closed off to high school events due to the coronavirus outbreak.

So Fletcher began making calls, searching near and far for another location to host. Eventually, Highland Park opened its gates to the cross-country community, and Fletcher was quick to set things up.

Throughout the course of the day, runners struggled with the endless slopes and drops. This was expected, as the course was once home to a golf facility — Highland Country Club, which closed a few years back.

Some athletes however, such as Seekonk senior Andrew Cabral, excelled. In one of the most entertaining races of the day, Cabral pulled away late to place first in a loaded heat. Cabral finished ninth overall when the day’s events concluded, but he was thrilled to simply have a chance to get back out there, after the South Coast Conference decided to not hold meetings this season.

“It’s a dream come true,” Cabral said. “I love the fact that I’m able to run, because my league has canceled all their meets, and pushed them back to February. So, having the ability to run in one of these invitationals really makes me happy in my senior year.”

Loeden Rodrigues, a senior from Marblehead, took first place honors for the day, as he averaged a net time of 15:55 to pace the boys.

Meanwhile, a nationally ranked runner made an appearance at the event as well. Sydney Masciarelli, a senior from Marianapolis Prep (CT), set a new course record, as she paced all girls, blowing away the rest of the field to finish with a net time of 17:57. As she crossed the finish line, the senior barely needed any time at all to catch her breath.

Masciarelli, who hails from Northbridge, heard about the invitational through her coaches, both of whom also live in-state. Despite adding another win to her resume, Masciarelli remained humble.

“It’s definitely nice,” Masciarelli said when asked about the publicity. “It’s not something that I really pay attention to too much. Because on any given day, depending on the course you run, and especially this year, because a lot of runners are running track races, you can’t really compare times too much. So I don’t really focus too much on that, but it is definitely good to have in the back of my mind.”

Will the Frank Kelley Invitational make a return to Attleboro if things return to normal? That remains to be seen, but for now, it looks like Fletcher and his fellow colleagues were able to make something that once seemed impossible, possible.

“I think it’s great,” Fletcher said. “If you take a look at (the athletes’) faces, they’re warming up, they’re cooling down. They’re just getting back into the atmosphere of a big type of meet, and that’s sort of the main reason why I wanted to provide this. Just give them that semblance of that type of experience, and I think right now, we’ve done a good job with that. And the kids seem to be having fun. It looks like they’re kind of at home almost, and that’s what we wanted to do.”



from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/37ikjmB
Runners go the distance at Frank Kelley Invitational Runners go the distance at Frank Kelley Invitational Reviewed by Admin on October 18, 2020 Rating: 5

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