Hawker’s birthday run

Congratulations to sophomore Matthew Hawker, who turned 19 yesterday. And in the fine tradition of Marist Running, he decided to run his birthday in miles. He did a 14-mile long run – our traditional, end-of-preseason long run from Marist, to Vassar Farm, loop around the farm, and back to Marist – and then later in the day did a 5-mile double, for 19 miles. While on its face this seems a bit extreme, it may be even more so considering that Hawker was a sprinter back in high school, before Marist Running Alum Nick Hughes coached him and moved him up to the 800 meters. Hawker has been known to exhibit questionable judgment in training at times – his unofficial motto would seem to be, “if something’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing” – but that sometimes reckless nature endears him to his teammates and to me. So, was it the smartest thing for Hawker to do 19 miles on his birthday? Of course not! But we’re proud of him nonetheless.