The alumni connection

Sorry for the big gap in posts. A lot going on as my summer days wind to a close with the beginning of preseason looming. Actually, here in Marist Athletics, summer is officially over as the fall sports teams have started their preseason – football and volleyball reported today, men’s and women’s soccer later in the week.

Congrats to most recent alum Nick Webster, who ran in the Dynamic Duo road race in the Albany area with Marist sophomore Kiersten Anderson. Web ran the 3-mile course in 15:18, a very solid time indeed. To show how fast this race was, that rapid time was good for 13th place. Wow!

Current Marist junior Will Schanz ran in the race and was pleased with his time of 17:06. I do not want to jinx it, but Will has had a remarkably injury-free summer.

At the race, Web was sporting his brand new Marist Alumni Racing Team singlet and it paid immediate dividends as he met long-ago Marist Running alum Chris McCloskey. McCloskey, the former school record holder in the 1,500-meter run and now a long-distance triathlete, ran 16:54.

Chomps, as he was known by his teammates back in the day, has completed a stunning metamorphosis as an athlete. Back in his Marist Running days, Chomps despised cross country. Strong word, to be sure, but it is true! He was all about track, and he was all about speed. He was an intense workout runner, an intense and fiercely loyal teammate. Phil and I – Phil especially – loved to verbally spar with Chomps over any topic, usually sports related.

So anyway, imagine our surprise when Mr. I Hate XC decided in his late 20s to not only take up triathloning, but to take it to the extreme. He is doing a Half Ironman in September – a very valid excuse for his missing the Red Fox Trot 5K. And next summer, God willing, he will be completing the Lake Placid Ironman (that’s a FULL Ironman Triathlon).

So, for those keeping score at home, our boy Chomps went from hatin on a 5-mile trail race with a few hills to now tackling a race that will take him half a day, 140-plus miles and a lot more ups and downs than the back hills at Vanny. Fascinating.

For the record, we are proud of him.

And now, Web and Chomps are on the same team – the Marist Alumni Racing Team.