True sadness, true hope

The bad news came in a flurry – like a series of punches from the great Muhammad Ali in his prime. A few days ago, friends texting me the not-surprising news of the Boston Marathon being canceled. Followed closely by the shockingly surprising and incredibly sad news of an Ivy League school permanently eliminating its men’s cross country and track programs. And then, a few hours and days later, the horrific scenes of civil unrest – most notably in Minneapolis but also around the country. When I go out for my solo morning walks, I have music and podcasts in my ears. Lately, my artists of choice have been the Avett Brothers. They make impossibly upbeat music – their live shows are a romp of pure happiness – despite oftentimes writing songs about incredibly complex and far-from-upbeat topics. The album I have been focusing on lately is one called “True Sadness.” If you listen to the title track without words, the tune puts a hop in your step. But the lyrics that accompany the great music are not so upbeat while also being so very relevant to today, to now, to our current reality. The song ends with these lyrics. Think about them today and in the coming days.

Just know the kingdom of God is within you
Even though the battle is bound to continue

'Cause I still wake up shaken by dreams
And I hate to say it but the way it seems
Is that no one is fine
Take the time to peel a few layers
And you will find
True sadness

But wait! Don’t just listen to the awesome Avett Brothers. Please go back to the beginning the Pandemic Papers series, which will continue this coming week, with our very first interview – Father Jacob Bertrand Janczyk. Father Jancyzk’s responses formed the groundwork for others to follow, and we are forever grateful for that. I leave you with these thoughts from the end of his interview, thoughts that filter into the silence of my head when I pause my iPod out on the solitary walks:

One of my favorite quotes is, “Dum spiro spero,” “While I breathe, I hope.” I think it’s incredibly appropriate for our lives now. God knows what tomorrow, or next week, or next month will look like, good things are to come, however unexpected they may be or however difficult to arrive at.

Amen.

An interview with Jay Doyle (Class of 1975)

Jay Doyle, racing in 1973

This is a first. Today’s Pandemic Papers features a Marist Running alum – loyal, as always – from the Class of 1975. What’s unique for this interview series is that I’ve never met Jay Doyle. Every other Pandemic Papers interview has been with someone I have known, met and in almost all cases had coached in the past 30 years. Jay fits none of those descriptions, which is actually really cool because everything – everything! – in his responses is more or less new to me (while, in most cases, being very, very old). Jay and his wife Beth (both members of the Class of 1975) were in the process of organizing the 45^th reunion for this September, but that has understandably been put off until 2021. Jay describes a Marist College and a track/cross country culture that are so distant from the modern day. I think the words he used were “utilitarian” and “minimal” when talking about facilities at Marist back then – in some ways, this remains true (no track facility on campus) but in most other ways, “minimal” does not fit in modern-day Marist College.

Guys like Jay are important – vital – to the history and the retelling of this program’s roots. He was part of the early years of the Rich Stevens-led dynasty teams of the 1970s, teams that would achieve great things on the regional and national scale. But again, this was the 1970s. No athletic scholarships. Track and cross country was a small part that fit into the larger picture of a liberal arts education, and you get that vibe from Jay’s awesome answers. Like most every Marist alum, you also get a true sense that the Marist education meant a lot to them as the years wore on, much more than a fading piece of paper in a frame on the wall. It prepares you for the world and the rest of your life. As the value and meaning of a college and university education come under fire and face serious questions as this pandemic rages on, Jay’s story is important. It is vital. Much like our school and our program. Thanks to Jay for reaching deep into the recesses of his mind for this trip down memory lane.

I know it was a very long time ago -- almost 50 years! -- but tell us about how you chose Marist. What other schools were you considering? Were you recruited? How did you choose Marist over others?

Marist XC, circa 1971

I applied to a handful of mostly small liberal arts colleges in New Jersey and New York, with Marist on the list after I heard about it from a family member who mentioned they had a running team. I liked the campus, the Hudson Valley, and the religious roots of the school were also appealing. I was not recruited by any schools – was just another walk on.  After committing, I wrote a letter to the coach Len Olson and he put me in touch with an upperclassman on the team, and then I simply showed up for orientation. Communication during the application and decision process was slow via letters and snail mail, but it didn’t seem slow at the time. After unpacking into my first floor room at Leo, it was time to find the team contact, only he was nowhere to be found! After walking around campus for a day or two and asking other students, I was able to find him and asked about the team and practice. It soon became apparent this team was more a loose association of free spirits who happened to run (when they felt like it). Thankfully, Marty McGowan and Bob Solomon as juniors provided a core for the team to build upon and we took it up from there.

How and why did you start running in middle or high school and what are some of your high school running highlights?

There were no sports in grade school so starting out as a freshman at Red Bank Catholic HS in New Jersey heard about XC and that all you had to do was show up and run – no equipment or experience necessary.  Went on my first training run and didn’t make it a half mile before being winded and cramping.  Gradually got better and by spring track started to see results.  Did a 10:57 two mile as freshman in spring track and got down to a 9:42 senior year in a win at Christian Brothers Academy (CBA).  We had an excellent HS coach Jack Rafter who built upon early season long slow mileage and shifted to tough interval speed workouts on the track later in the season. Mixed in some fartlek type training as well.  We had some good teams and were competitive in our division every year.  Our local rivals included CBA, St. Rose, and others.  Senior year ran a 2:01 split in the two mile relay at Penn Relays, and finished second in the Parochial B two mile state championship. Of course, the really good runners of the era were in Parochial A – powerhouses like Essex Catholic and Roselle Catholic with runners like Mike Keogh and Joe Savage. In May 1971 went to Philly with a few teammates to see the Ryun-Liquori Dream Mile – had great seats right near the finish line. 

Talk about your time as a student-athlete at Marist. It was a long time ago. Who were your coaches, what are some of your racing highlights and fondest memories? 

Marist XC workout on campus, 1971

My first coach was Len Olson in XC freshman year, which was his final year of coaching. Rich Stevens arrived in my sophomore year and brought in his well-organized training framework and clear goals for building up the visibility and quality of the program. Was fortunate enough to enjoy a strong sophomore XC season despite the lack of summer training. Set my best XC times on our home course and at VC Park that year. Spring track sophomore year was lost due to an arm injury and I didn’t get to train much. Entered junior XC season in less than great shape, but we had some very strong freshman runners who were setting records right out of the gate - Fred Kolthay and Brian Costine. Team went undefeated that year with Fred and Brian leading the way. Tried the half mile in junior year spring track and did well with a personal best of 1:57.5 winning at Monmouth College (now University). We had some strong sprinters, jumpers, and throwers that year with Tim Murphy in the 100, long jump and high jump, Peter Van Aken in the throwing, and others.  Some of their records may still stand (Editor’s note: THEY DO!). 

Fond memories are the weekend long runs to Vanderbilt Mansion, around the grounds and back, or along wooded trails between campus and CIA, or the grounds of the state hospital up the road. Enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of early fall in the Hudson Valley during an up-tempo run when everything was clicking. Then there was the training run across the Mid-Hudson bridge and through the woods to the rail bridge and thinking “why not”, and proceeding to run across it back to Poughkeepsie keeping an eye out for a possible train while avoiding holes in the flimsy walkway. Halfway across we’re wondering if we would ever reach land and hoping the police weren’t waiting for us on other side. Was a thrill to be there 36 years later for the opening of the Walkway over the Hudson in October 2009.

Tell us about the day-to-day of being an athlete at Marist back in the 1970s. How and where did you train? What type of workouts did you do? What type of mileage did you do? How frequently did you race and where did you race?

Training mileage was relatively low – perhaps 40 miles per week at peak early in the season. Didn’t work out much between seasons. Would ramp up the training miles too quickly and get shin splints or other injuries. When I heard later about the really great Marist runners putting in 500 to 1,000 miles over the summer, my jaw sort of dropped. It did drive home the point that the season itself should be about sharpening the running and racing skills on a foundation of endurance that is built off-season. Athletic facilities were minimal. But none of that really mattered because all you had to do was lace up and hit the roads or trails. As mentioned above, there were the long weekend training runs, and we also did some warm-ups and sprints on a field across from the chapel. As I recall, we also did some speed work occasionally at a local high school track. We had dual, triangular, and quadrangular meets with some on our home course and others away in Connecticut, New Jersey and downstate. Ran Van Cortlandt two or three times. 

What was your major at Marist? Tell us about your educational experience. What were the classes like back then and were most of the classes taught by Marist Brothers?

Political science was my major plus several economics classes. I also really enjoyed sampling the liberal arts courses from philosophy to English. My professors inspired me to study hard and I surprised myself by stepping up the academics as time went on. Completed an internship senior year working with the City Planning Department in Poughkeepsie, which got me thinking about that as a career. Most of my classes were in Donnelly Hall, which was the only academic building on campus that I recall other than computer science with the old mainframe tapes and keypunch. There were several Marist Brothers still teaching then, but none of my classes were with them.  Linus Foy was president of Marist and I recall the great respect and admiration that the students and faculty had for him at the time, and all he had done to advance the college. As alumni, Beth and I are also very grateful to president Dennis Murray for all that he and his leadership team, faculty, and staff have done to continuously improve the academics, campus, and student life there. As a PolySci major my hat’s off to the Marist Poll and what it has accomplished as well. We have always been proud to have graduated from Marist because of the strong academic foundation it provided, which positioned us for later success in life and our respective careers. 

Marist obviously holds a special place for you because you and your wife were both in the Class of 1975. Tell us about that, how long have you been married, how many children (grandchilden?) do you have and where you are living currently?

Jay and Beth, 1986

First met Beth when she and I were freshmen. She was dating the roommate of our team co-captain Bob Solomon at the time. We were introduced briefly but didn’t really notice each other again until two years later. She was an environmental science major and we didn’t have any common classes. She worked in the cafeteria part time between classes and her extracurricular was mainly Children’s Theater. We started dating winter of junior year and it gradually become more serious. Our first dinner date was at the Milanese Restaurant on Main Street. I was and remain very lucky to have met such an incredibly bright, supportive, and energetic soulmate – another reason Marist is such a special place for us. With no real jobs in hand upon graduation, we announced our engagement nonetheless and got married in October 1975. It took a while, but it all worked out for the best. We have three wonderful grown sons, with one married and no grandchildren (yet), and will be in celebrating our 45^th anniversary this fall. 

Tell us about your post-Marist career. What and where has your career path taken you and what is your current employment status?

After a couple of years working hard in jobs that lacked a real career path, we started looking around for a graduate school that had the degrees we wanted at a price we could afford. The Ohio State University had City and Regional Planning for me and Environmental Science for Beth and under the work-study program we had free tuition and earned enough to get by. Upon graduating, I took a transportation planner job at Ohio DOT, rose in the ranks over the years, shifted to consulting work for Kaiser Engineers, Earth Tech, and now AECOM, where I’ve been fortunate to have been part of major infrastructure projects over the years including Conrail privatization, Boston Harbor Cleanup, All Electronic Tolling, and a variety of new intercity and commuter rail and transit systems. I’m currently working full time leading the Transportation Planning, Traffic and ITS Groups for AECOM in Massachusetts. Beth left environmental science for the computer industry shortly after graduate school and is a Higher Ed Account Manager with Apple.

You told us that early on in this pandemic, you were sick with the Coronavirus. Tell us about that experience. What were your symptoms like, when did you test positive and how long did it take you to recover? We hope you are back to 100 percent!

In mid-March, I developed a slight fever and significant body aches and chills with a dry cough. No shortness of breath. Self-quarantined, got tested and four days later results came back positive for COVID19.  Fortunately, it was a mild case and other than afternoon fatigue that lasted a several weeks there were no lingering problems.  Never had to go back to the doctor and no one else in family has had any symptoms. I’ve been biking and working out again and have an appointment to donate plasma June 1. We are so thankful to all the first-line health care workers who have been battling this pandemic every day, many of who were profiled earlier in these blog posts. Thank you all for what you do to protect the public’s health.

Talk about your post-Marist running career. You graduated right when the "running boom" was starting. Did you keep running? If so, did you race a lot, do a lot of marathons? Are you still running and racing?

Cape Cod Marathon, 1991

Yes, running had a high public profile back in the early and mid-70s.  I mentioned seeing the Dream Mile race in 1971.  We also got to experience the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Beth and I got to see several exciting finals races, including the 400, 800, 1500, marathon, and decathlon. Another inspiration was Bill Koch of Vermont winning the silver medal in XC skiing in the Winter Olympics that same year (back then the winter and summer Games were held same year). We decided to try the sport starting with classic and eventually transitioning to skate style. While in Ohio, we completed a number of endurance events including two double century bike rides (Tour of Scioto River Valley) and our first American Birkebeiner 50k XC ski event in Wisconsin. We moved to the Boston area in 1985 and completed another Birkebeiner the next year. Took a couple of years off before I started thinking about running the marathon. 

We lived in Ashland at the time, which is located along the course, and had watched a couple of the races. I decided to run unofficially in 1990, so started training on January 1^st that year, ran in the dark after work and met my goal of breaking three hours with a 2:56. Ran more that summer and officially entered Cape Cod Marathon and finished in 2:46.  Set goal for a 2:36 the following year but got hurt and struggled to finish with a 3:02. Since then, we do fundraising bike rides such as the 50-mile PanMass and 40-mile Five Boro Ride in NYC every year or two. Ten years ago, started thinking about running another marathon, but a few months into training an L5/S1 herniated disc put an end to that. This led to rediscovering the low-G joys of XC skiing.  Learned about the Engadin 42k Skimarathon and decided to train.  Completed Engadin in 2013, 2016, 2018 and was set to complete it this year when it got cancelled due to COVID. We kept to our plans and skied and completed the near empty course unofficially, and hope to be back again next year or in 2022.

You and your wife were part of the planning for the 45th reunion this fall at Marist but that's not happening now. What was the thought process in postponing it and how was it going before you decided to curtail plans? 

Jay and Beth, 2015

Our planning committee started having conference calls before the pandemic and had secured the Cornell Boathouse and were drawing up contact lists and brainstorming ideas when the situation changed. Given the risk factors associated with our demographic, the committee unanimously voted to postpone the 45th class reunion, regardless of whether there is a Homecoming Weekend in 2020 or not. We want to have a strong turnout for our event and that just won’t be possible in 2020 given the uncertainties. As alum, we have been trying to generate support for the emergency fund to help returning students this fall.

When was the last time you have been back on campus? It's a lot different than when you were a student here! Describe to current students what the Marist campus was like when you were a student.

Campus was very compact then and facilities were utilitarian, which in some ways drew the students close together.  There was a bit of a DIY communal attitude, which was exciting. There weren’t that many of us compared to enrollment today. Theater was popular (including Children’s Theater which Beth was in) and the theater crowd threw the best parties. We had a Ratskeller in basement of student center that hosted various beverage promotional nights but much of social life was in the dorms and local bars (Frank’s, Pick and Shovel, Caboose, Derby, etc...). On-campus acts and speakers of the time included Chubby Checker, Seals and Crofts, William Kunstler, and others.

How have you and your family managed the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown? Where do you see our country in the short- and long-term future with this?

Beth and I are fortunate that we can work remotely in our jobs, which we have continued to do throughout the shutdowns. Back in March when I was in quarantine, it was a challenge to stay in different areas of the house for two-plus weeks, but other than that we continue to adjust to the new normal. We miss visiting relatives in New Jersey and are hoping to get down there again at some point. Miss running the boardwalk Asbury to Spring Lake. Shout out to that Marist grad who won the Spring Lake Five – super impressive and a big deal. Well done!!

Our graduating seniors lost out on the final two-plus months of their college careers. What message can you send them and how would you have felt if that happened to you? 

Cherish the on-campus memories that preceded the pandemic and hang in there – there will be a well-deserved celebration of your accomplishments when the time is right and you can truly enjoy it. You worked hard to get into Marist and to get to this point, so you know a few things about delayed gratification. Consider this your latest challenge to overcome.   

Anything else you'd like to add ...

Finally, a big thank you Pete for your great coaching of the Marist XC and track teams for 25+ years!  As impressive as the times and records are, it’s the character and life accomplishments of your former runners that really stand out.  

Jay and Beth, 2018

Dietrich’s big run

He is one of the greatest distance runners in school history. Dietrich Mosel (Class of 2018) had a wonderful career here, posting the second-fastest 5km time in school history (14:19.14), among his many highlights. During his four years at Marist, we forged an unusually close coach-athlete relationship. Our hours-long conversations were well-known among his teammates. Pre- and post-race analyses on the road would go on for a long time with conversations on the bus ride home or in the hotel lobby over breakfast. In these past two years, Deet has forged a remarkably successful career in the world of finance. But during this upward mobility time, we have fallen out of touch. Those long conversations have been punctuated by way-too-long intervals. Last night, we finally caught up after months of no communication. We barely scratched the surface on many topics. Being an old guy, I tend to repeat myself and/or drag out stories. And Deet is well-known for making a simple 5-minute story into a 15-minute miniseries. It’s great stuff and I miss it terribly. Hopefully, these long talks will resume as we remain restricted by the pandemic.

Anyway, once again a long-winded introduction to what I really want to tell everyone about: On Saturday, Dietrich is embarking upon a 50-mile run in Queens, to help raise money for frontline workers. Rather than try to retell it in my usual roundabout way, here is Deet’s fundraising letter and here is the link to donate. I’ll be reporting on Deet’s 50-miler after he’s done. For now, please consider contributing. And good luck, Deet!

Hi Everyone,

My name is Dietrich Mosel and I am on a mission to run 50 miles to help raise money for St Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY. Coronavirus has left us down but not out and I would like to help fight for those keeping us safe in addition to all who were, and currently are, affected.

Due to some true inspiration and courage from one of my good friends, who ran to raise money for frontline workers, I am embarking on a run of my own to bring attention and necessary relief to those who truly need it. More specifically, your donations will make an impact through the following funds:

1.  Crisis Response / Recovery Fund - Donations will help to purchase equipment, personal protective equipment and provide frontline workers / staff with much needed help. More specifically, through mental health and therapy programs, financial hardship collections and additional endeavors as the Hospital discovers critical needs along the way.

2.  Staff Appreciation Fund - Monies raised will directly benefit all St. Francis Hospital (SFH) staff who have been impacted by the virus, this will continue to evolve over time.

3.  Needy Persons Fund - This program supports patients whom cannot afford medications or treatments.

Any donation amount would be much appreciated and will certainly go a long way!

If you can do so in a safe way, definitely feel free to lace up and virtually join me for part, or all, of my run on May 30th at 6:00AM EST at Flushing Meadows Park!

Since 50 miles might take a while, my friend, and longtime running partner, Nick Adamo, is kind enough to bike alongside me and provide a livestream if you'd like to tune in.

We will be live-streaming the event, via Instagram, from this profile:
@COVID50RUN

Thank you, in advance, for your support and help in these challenging times. Together, we can truly all make a difference.

Stay safe and healthy,

Dietrich

An interview with Addie DiFrancesco

As old coaches do, I make references and comparisons to former runners on the team quite a bit in my day-to-day interaction with current athletes. There’s a quote out there that I like to recite all the time, our women’s athletes hear it from me quite a bit: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I tell them that, and then don’t follow my own advice. Old habits die hard, and I still fall back on comparing traits from former athletes (now Forever Foxes) to current athletes (future Forever Foxes). After close to 30 years of coaching, I guess it just happens. Addie DiFrancesco is a name that comes up frequently -- especially with this highly charged, highly competitive and ultra-highly successful women’s team we currently have. Did that long run a little too hard, pushed those last few miles at a crazy-fast pace? “Oh, that’s nothing compared to Addie.” Drilled those intervals at the track faster than you should have? “Oh yeah, that was in Addie’s playbook.” Ran yourself dizzy and delirious in a race, giving it your all, leaving every ounce of energy out there on the track? “Addie! Penn Relays 10k! Scared the bejesus out of me!”

She was one of our favorites. As you might surmise, a little nutty with her work ethic. We’d come back from an off-campus workout, drop the ladies off in front of McCann, empty out the coolers, go inside to return the van keys, go to the bathroom, maybe chat with the housekeepers, swim coaches, whoever … and then finally head out to my car to drive home. And there’s Addie, hammering out a few extra cooldown miles on campus. As a coach, what’s not to love about hard-working athletes? It’s a good “problem” to have when your biggest chore is teaching them how to pull back. Addie was a journalism major, so we had that in common. She’s a great writer, and I think that comes out here in her Pandemic Papers responses. Addie admits here that she’s a bit of an introvert, so she didn’t mind having one-on-one conversations about her writing, her running … or Otis. Ah, Otis. That mystical place, in rural western Massachusetts, really defines Addie. It’s her happy place – for her and her family. After one meet at Franklin Park in Boston, we had a post-race BBQ at Otis – to this day, I have no idea how that big bus made it in and out of that narrow dirt road. Speaking of Franklin Park … I don’t remember Addie being any happier than that one regional meet in the mud and muck at Franklin. Addie loved cross country, way more than track. Cross country was her sport.

Addie has done a lot since graduating from Marist eight years ago. Astutely, she did NOT pursue a career in journalism; while disappointing, because she is a great writer, it was also a natural response, given the volatile and shaky nature of the profession – back then and now. She entered her family’s insurance business. Athletically, she pushed a little reset with her running. After eight years as a competitive high school and college runner, pushing herself to the limit and beyond, her mind and body needed it. She reinvented herself with some intense strength and conditioning, and not surprisingly, her limited race results have been outstanding. We really appreciate Addie taking the time to answer the questions here today. It was great to revisit her career – seems like yesterday, but it was about a decade ago now!

When did you start running and what got you started in the sport?

Well, I used to be a horseback rider ... started when I was 3. And I only dropped it when I was being recruited to run in college. I used to run around the horse rings and jump over the horse jumps or perform dressage tests on foot with my barn pals. I would make jumps at home and spend hours outside running around and hopping over things. Around fourth grade, my dad threatened to sell my horse if I didn't start doing some team sports. Well, I figured running came pretty naturally. Except I didn't really take it seriously. I stopped in the woods to wait for a friend and almost missed a race start because I was trying to braid my teammate's hair. I got a little more competitive by 8th grade... but not really. I didn't start to really GO FOR IT until the end of my sophomore year of high school. And I'm not a natural. I worked HARD. Extra runs after practice. Extra core work. Extra warm ups. I couldn't do/get enough. 

You had a strong high school career. Tell us about that, what are your favorite memories and highlights?

I LOVED everything about my high school team. It was truly my life junior and senior year. Had a couple little bumps with mono senior XC and a fractured ankle senior track. But I really felt this sense of family. I could spend hours at practice and still never want to go home. I still go to Holy Cross to do my runs! It's home. First time I really felt strong and like I belonged somewhere. That sticks with you. I had one key rival in high school my junior and senior year. She had a slight edge on the track, but I managed to get her in cross country on our back hills. I don't have ONE memory because I genuinely loved being at the meets with all my teammates, many of them I'm still in touch with. 

What drew you to Marist College? Tell us about the recruiting process and how you chose Marist over other schools.

My cousin was a Communications major at the time and my parents took me to visit her to see if I liked the school. She took us to Rossi's Deli and showed us the riverfront. I'm not a super outgoing person on the upfront. So the whole college process was actually stressful and intimidating to me. I honestly think I e-mailed Chuck about running? I can't remember! I had gotten some random recruitment letters at school from Bucknell, Fairfield, and a couple other schools. So that got me thinking, well, what if I try the schools I really want to go to. Chuck called me and we chatted for a while about the program and where he wanted to take it. (I was also in a panic senior year after I fractured my ankle and thought he was going to call and tell me deal was off LOL). I figured I was just going to fill out the pack. I was very new to everything since I really only had two years of competitive running under my belt. It came down to Marist and Stonehill College. My mom actually helped me. She told me to think about where I would feel like I was more at home. Marist it was!

What was your academic major(s) at Marist and what were your career goals entering college?

I was a Communications Journalism major with a Creative Writing (Non Fiction) minor. I love to write. I have kept a daily journal since I was about 8. I wanted to enter into Sports Journalism and maybe dabble in Photojournalism as well. I actually have Holy Cross to thank once again because the English program at that school was second to none. I didn't want to be a teacher, but it put the idea of Journalism and Creative Writing in my mind. 

You had a GREAT career as a runner here, helping to elevate our program to new levels. What are some of your favorite memories and career highlights?

Oh boy! There are quite a few. Penn Relays my freshman year was one of my absolute favorites. It was my first real big track meet. And I was in the Olympic Development for my first ever track 10k. Trial by fire, right? I had some issues with a mile to go. (Sorry, Pete! I think I scared you a little.) But, I finished the race and when Pete showed me the splits I couldn't believe my eyes. I ran almost every lap the same. The two 5ks were 18:06, 18:06 for 36:12. I wanted to break that time in the worst way. Cross country was always my favorite, though. Winning ECACs as a team my sophomore year was right up there with Penn Relays. And I always really enjoyed MAACs, especially when they were at Van Cortlandt. Something about the terrain there just made it feel like your feet had wings. I think I finished 2nd overall at MAACs at Van Cortlandt my sophomore year, but it was a battle to the end with one of the Iona runners. (I think about if I had to do that now and feel a little sick; I don't know where that hyper competitiveness used to come from). I also ran MAACs injured my senior year and pulled out a third. I don't remember the race hurting, but I paid for it after. I just knew I wasn't missing my last race at Van Cortlandt. And who could forget Disney? My parents came down to watch and take Jack to Disney. It was his 10th birthday and he still talks about how many times he got to go on the

Rockin Rollercoaster with Chuck. Lauren and Chuck also talked me onto a log flume ride, which was and still is my personal hell. I'm pretty sure Chuck kept a copy of that ride picture in his office and showed it to recruits. Let's just say I look very much not thrilled to be on that ride. These meets and trips were fun mostly because you were with your team. Any big success was all for the team. I used to feel really proud seeing the name Marist high up on the results.

You had a (well-earned) reputation for being a fiercely hard worker in training while you were in college. Where did that drive and work ethic come from and if you could do it over again, what would you do differently?

Chuck will kill me when he reads this. I regret not strength training more. I used to just hammer miles. I loved it. I think I just really liked that feeling of moving fast and seeing miles click off. To this day, I operate by the mindset that if you're going to do something, you do it to the very best of your ability. You give it everything you have, every single day. That went for school, too. And that's from my parents. From the time I started getting report cards, if I had one grade slip, my dad would jab a finger at the line and ask, "What happened here?" I was constantly working to be the best. Not just my best, the best. Even if I didn't hit it all the time, I had to keep working for it. And that bled into running. Chuck would give me splits to hit for 1,000-meter repeats. I would shave a few seconds off because that would make them "better." Sometimes that probably worked, but sometimes it also hurt. I would definitely dial in those workouts I used to blow out. I would also maybe cut my mileage back. I started a strength program after I graduated and I ran a half marathon on only 25 miles a week of training and no speed work. So I learned the hard way. DO YOUR STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING! 

Tell us about your post-collegiate running and athletic pursuits. You've done a lot! What are some of the races you've done, and other activities, and to what level are you training right now?

I was kind of lost after college. I still ran every day, but had some nagging injuries and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I think I was also a little burnt out. The idea of racing kind of made me break into a cold sweat. So I did this group strength and conditioning class at my gym. It was called IAP and geared toward athletes. There were many elements that really helped get me back to running. We even ran in some of the workouts! I started to really just fall back into place. I did a 5k in the summer months after two years of not racing. I won. I then pointed toward my first half marathon. The whole second half was uphill ... which I wasn't expecting. But, I managed to win that, too. I wasn't thrilled about my time, but that's what I get for only running 25 miles a week up to it (I was a little dehydrated/delirious at mile 12 and went to grab water and asked the guy at the table where I was ... He asked if I needed a medic). I credited my ability to finish solely to the strength training I had been doing. It also happened to be a Road Runners Club of America Championship race. I had never broken a tape before, so that was really cool. I'm still doing a lot of weight lifting and conditioning work with a new trainer. He tries to keep me from destroying myself. Last summer, he had me back on the track for mile repeats and I was hitting college times again. Now, everything is a little different with the pandemic. He mentioned some hill repeats soon just to mix things up. But I would really like to run a half marathon time I'm proud of. 

We all knew about your affinity for your summer home in OTIS while you were in college. Give us some background/history there, tell us how much it means to you and how much time do you and your family spend there?

Ah, Otis Reservoir. The place. Not my dog ... or my boyfriend ... as a lot of the team initially thought. I found that hilarious. My grandfather built our house on Otis in 1971. My dad grew up there; the plate on his truck is Otis71. When I was little, every summer weekend we would get piled into the truck with groceries and the dog and go up. As I got older, we would spend weeks at a time there. I started doing my runs up there in high school. And it just started to be my place. Runs there just FELT better. I also met my boyfriend there. He lived a few houses down from us. So it changed from just summers, to then going there as often as I could. I still go up pretty much every weekend, no matter the season. I've gotten a little more adventurous with my water sports since I'm not technically racing anymore. My youngest brother, Jack, is a phenomenal water skier. So he's been showing me the ropes. I even tried barefoot skiing, which is exactly as it sounds. No skis, just your bare feet on the water as you get pulled at 35-40 mph. Not the best activity if you're on a running scholarship. 

Tell us about your post-collegiate work career -- you got into the family business, right? What are you doing now and how has it been affected by the pandemic?

I am a licensed insurance agent at our family insurance agency. I took the six-month self-study course after I realized I really didn't want to get into journalism as it now is. I had to pass a three-hour state exam (it was no joke). And I take another small test every two years to renew my license. The pandemic was tough for us at first. We didn't realize just how many customers come through our door every day to talk to us about car changes, new homes, or pay bills. We locked our door and put a sign up asking customers to call or e-mail us and we would try to do everything that way. We're a small agency, so pretty much all my coworkers opted to stay in the office and we were all careful. Technically, insurance was considered "essential" in Connecticut. And I can honestly say I had never been busier. People called about changing policies around or getting new quotes to save money. I was really lucky in that I had a job to be busy at. And most companies were giving stay at home credits. Of course, every company was giving a different percentage. So that was fun trying to explain to customers. I don't consider myself a true "essential" worker like nurses, police officers, or grocery store workers. Those are your heroes right now. But I figured if I could help someone out by saving them a few dollars or just help them navigate a fender bender they had, then I was doing what I could. 

Other than Otis, where are you living (home with family, solo, with your boyfriend)?

I live in Thomaston, CT with my boyfriend (yes, still Paul). He purchased a house there a couple years ago. It's about 45 minutes from Otis and I have a brand-new track at Nystrom's Park that is a half mile run from the house. I actually have some nice areas to run, which was a huge plus.

Overall, how has the pandemic affected your life and your family's life?

I think I mentioned above that I'm a little bit of an introvert. I don't go out a lot to begin with. So, I don't miss that much. And the beauty of a family business is that I'm with my family. I go to work, then to my parents to use their bike and DBs for workouts (or see my dog), then home. Initially, it was really scary. I was worried about my parents. Worried about going to the store. But, I've kind of just rolled up my sleeves and do what I have to do. I've always been an obsessive hand washer. So that hasn't changed. We have recently started to see some friends by having them over to sit outside, very far apart. 

Where do you see this going short- and long-term?

Honestly, I don't know. Some days everything feels almost normal. Then I have to pull a mask on to go into Dunkin' Donuts for my coffee. I'm a little anxious with all these reopenings happening because there are people who aren't being careful or considerate. I do think there is a very high chance of a second wave of this. Initially, I was reading every article I could get my hands on. But it was giving me real anxiety. Now, I've kind of been trying to just get little bursts of news here and there and not overwhelm myself. Because this whole pandemic is very overwhelming. I've always been good at kind of just slogging through things that drag on. (Thank you, distance running.) I think this is definitely going to be the "new normal" for at least another year. I hope I'm wrong. 

What are some of your fondest memories of your last few months of your senior year, and what message can you send to our recently graduated seniors who had this special time in their lives robbed from them?

Our trip to Mt. SAC in California was one of my favorite senior year memories (I'm still sorry about the guacamole all over the rental car!!). My race wasn't the greatest, but it was one of my last trips. It was just me and a few of the guys - Will, Quimes, and Kenny. We had some good laughs on that trip. My parents also made a trip of it and brought Jack. That kid lived the life, seriously. I had been injured junior year and worked my butt off over the summer. So, my senior year of Cross Country ended up being one of my best. I was really glad to kind of end it on a high note at the MAAC meet. That brings me to the current seniors. I felt horrible when I saw everything getting cancelled. I had my senior year of high school track ended because of my injury. And I remember how crushing that was when I thought of all the time and hard work. You can spend a lot of time feeling sorry for yourself and what will never be. Or, you can pull yourself up and keep working hard. Because one day, hopefully soon, the roads and tracks will be busy with races again. I had a coach from a rival team in high school say this to me when I was hurt, "This is just a snapshot, not your whole photo album." These are uncharted waters right now. Running is a wonderful sport in that we aren't really finished with it when we leave Marist. We can go on to crush road races or join local teams. Nothing can be said to fill the empty spot of a lost senior year, but I've noticed Marist runners tend to be pretty resilient. I know I'll be seeing a lot of blog posts about these current seniors making a splash in races across the country. This time might be a gift to some. Time to rest. Time to reassess where they're going in life. Time to reflect on all the friendships and good memories from Marist. 

Anything else you'd like to add ...

I really just hope everyone is staying safe!! And to the Seniors, I've loved following along the results this year. Even without the exclamation point of a senior track season, the Marist team was on fire this year and you should all be proud. 

An interview with Steve Pierie

We all had bad hair. Although this may not be clearly obvious from some of these photos, rest assured it was the mid- to late-1980s. Bad hair was good hair back then. Many of us – too many of us – had mullets. In most cases, our hair was puffy, feathered and just plain awful. But did we care? Of course we didn’t care! It was the 1980s. We had bad hair and we listened to bad music. Nostalgia aside, these are almost universally indisputable facts. Today’s Pandemic Papers takes a trip back to a somewhat lost era of Marist Running. Steve Pierie was a freshman in the fall of 1985, on a cross country team that featured numerous seniors – including me. He describes meeting me and his new teammates at our coach Steve Lurie’s running camp – Beginning Trails Running Camp (Hill Busters!) in or around Andes, NY (where’s Andes? … look for “nowhere” on the map, and Andes is in the middle of that). I seem to remember that year at camp, getting lost on endless country roads and not finding my way back to Camp Oquago after nearly 3 hours of running; this was way before Garmin watches but it’s safe to say I ran well over 20 miles that day. No one cared or thought to send out a search party. They just figured I was going longer because I wanted to – I had that reputation back then. I remember eating and drinking an enormous amount upon returning to camp, thankfully before dinner ended. My nickname, to which Steve refers (Girder Pete), had to do with my freshman year in high school, JV basketball, when I took a last-second shot that went clear over the backboard and got stuck in the metal that holds up the backboard and rim, as time expired. It was hilarious to everyone but the skinny point guard who was humiliated at the poor aim. The nickname Girder Pete persisted throughout high school; it persisted in college only because I was stupid enough to tell my teammates this story.

After Steve’s freshman year, I graduated in May of 1986. I didn’t start coaching until early 1991. Steve populated three years of the five-year gap when I was not directly affiliated with the program. Although I was still in Poughkeepsie, working at the Poughkeepsie Journal, I was not all that close with the team during that tumultuous era of the program. The volatile nature of the team back then kind of robbed Steve of what could have been a much better college career, but based on his answers here, he harbors no bitterness and seems grateful for his time as a student and as a runner at Marist. Which is neat! To be able to stay in touch with him and reconnect with him after all these years is special. Equally special is his loyalty to our program. He follows the team. He knows the team from afar (Steve lives in Kentucky). That’s really cool. Aside from exposing my silly nickname and the very obscure running shoes I wore back then, there are some great tidbits of information in here. “Debbie Bell” … one of the three women’s coaches during his time at Marist? All of you probably know her as Deb DiCaprio, who is the dean of students at Marist and oversees athletics. She’s been at Marist her entire professional career. And yes, one of her early duties was as women’s cross country coach. He also notes that his hometown of Waterloo, NY, is the birthplace of Memorial Day (good timing with this post!), although Wikipedia tends to disagree with this claim. Fun facts aside: It’s pretty cool that Steve is still running and still active in the running community where he lives. And it was great to hear about his life journey during the past 31 years. Thanks for doing it, Steve, and thanks for staying connected to the program. You are a true Forever Fox.  

It was a loooooooong time ago, but how did you become interested in Marist, choose Marist and what other schools were you considering? Were you recruited?

I grew up in Waterloo, NY; a small, two stoplight town known best for being named the Birthplace of Memorial Day and as the hometown of Tom Coughlin (he has a giant mural painted on a downtown building). I assumed that I would attend Syracuse University. My dad graduated there and I spent enough time on that campus as a kid attending games at the Carrier Dome that I could probably walk the campus blind folded and get my way around. My best friend in high school and I decided to go there together. I thought I would go into sports broadcasting because of my love of sports. I represented my high school on a weekly sports radio show. It was fun. My only concern was that the logical side of me thought the odds were long for making it successfully in that industry.

My senior year, I took a course in Basic, an introductory programming language and I just loved it. I now felt I knew what I would like to study in college.  I also wanted to continue running if possible. So I started looking at colleges that offered computer science as major. I spent time looking at brochures and became intrigued by Marist. I filled out the form and planned to visit the campus. As all of us “Forever Foxes” know, once you get on campus you get hooked!  Everyone was friendly, the campus was gorgeous and with IBM’s presence coupled with a dedicated dorm for CS majors it was a no-brainer. Syracuse did not have a great computer setup and really wasn’t interested in me as a runner. So despite getting accepted at both schools, I had to tell my best friend I wasn’t going to Syracuse.

Somewhere in there, Steve Lurie started calling me. I assume he got the information about me and was interested in having me join the team. He arranged for me to visit campus again – I took my first airplane flight compliments of Marist. I don’t remember much about the visit, just the thrill of flying, and the excitement of meeting the team.

Tell us about your high school career. When and why did you start running, what were some of your high school running highlights, what high school did you run for, and any other details from that long-ago time?

I attended Waterloo High School. I pretty much played every sport you could as a kid; baseball, basketball, football etc.  In 8^th grade, I was asked to join the high school tennis team. All you had to do was pass the physical. So I played tennis and basketball into my freshman year. I didn’t play a sport in the fall, so the basketball coach recommended I go out for cross country sophomore year. My first race in the JV, I ended up with the 3^rd fastest time on the team. I ended up not making the basketball team and thanks to my success in cross country, I gave up tennis in favor of track. And the rest is history.

It’s funny, but most of the memories I have from my high school running days are things that one wouldn’t consider a highlight – like leading an invitational and failing to make the first turn and watching the whole field run by, losing my spike in giant mud bog trying to hurdle a creek at Baldwinsville and narrowly missing out on states senior year. I was our team’s lead runner my junior and senior years so I had some successes but it’s always through adversity that learning and growth comes.

Talk about your time at Marist as an athlete. It had its ups and downs. For our younger readers, describe how the program was back then, the coaching, the seasons and anything else you recall from your time as a runner at Marist.

I came into Marist, as a very inexperienced low mileage runner. I remember the preseason running camp in the Catskills, where the team was the counselors for a high school running camp led by our coach. I had never run double sessions and the mileage we did at that camp left me exhausted to the point that when the team gathered in the evenings to socialize, I was asleep in my cabin. The first day back on campus, my cabin-mate Paul Kelly had no idea I was on the team as he thought I was a camper!

The team was pretty large, I’d say counting the track guys we had around 30 members. We had great team leaders in Pete Pazik, Christian Morrison, Mike Murphy, Donald Godwin and a lanky, Turntec wearing (I had never heard of that brand at the time), high mileage runner that guys affectionately called Girder Pete Colaizzo. (Not my story, so I won’t explain that one!)

Coach Lurie was definitely a personality. He had a way explaining everyone’s PRs, but never down to the tenths. It was always to the point. For example, he would say Garry Ryan ran a 1:58 point, not 1:58.6. Every runner he ever talked about, that was how he described them. He had a tone and a cadence about the way he spoke that everyone on the team imitated. He also liked to experiment, always throwing something new into our training routine. If he read it somewhere, he was willing to try it. I remember him adding some yoga into our warmup routine by making us do the sun salutation.  We all felt goofy doing it but looking back it was pretty progressive for that time. Don Reardon, our top runner and comedian, would draw a picture of Steve’s head and embed it in the cartoon he would draw for that week’s edition of the Circle. We enjoyed trying to find him. Even Steve was good natured about it when he found out what was happening.

At the time the big meet for the team during cross country was the state meet, we didn’t start running conference championships (we were in the Northeast Conference during my years at Marist) until my sophomore year. We did well at states my freshman year (top 10 finish, if I recall correctly). Sophomore year, despite finishing second at conference champs, we flamed out pretty badly at the state meet. Guys were frustrated with the uneven training, several runners were injured and when concerns were brought to the AD, Steve was removed as head coach. That left us with no coach and that meant there would be no winter or spring track. I had already lost most of indoor and all of outdoor the previous track season due to mono so losing another year of track hurt. Little did we know that was the end of track during my time at Marist.

We started my junior year with no coach. The feeling on the team was that we were just a placeholder so that Marist could stay Division I in basketball. We felt left out, the school gave the basketball team new running shoes while we were still buying our own gear. Rich Stevens took over and while the team still finished 2^nd again in the NEC, it was frustrating for the guys that were really more track oriented as there was no season for them. By my senior year, I was the only runner in my class still running, I think Bob Sweeney and Dave Blondin were studying abroad. I was named captain, but that was mainly because I had the most seniority. I drove the van to meets since I was the only one that was 21 and could be insured. I ran decently well senior year, but I had to do some of the workouts on my own as I had an internship that prevented me making practices several days a week and as a result I felt disconnected from the younger runners on the team.

It was tough not having track for the balance of my career, since mainly that is the season you determine your PRs and I ended up never really knowing how fast I could run a 3k, 5k or 10k. I also lacked the continuity of a year-round training plan which definitely hindered my development. But I loved my time as a Marist runner. We had a great group of guys and personalities on the team. I have only great memories, fun stories (like the nude mile and I will definitely let someone else tell that tale!, arriving in Syracuse with the team van two hours ahead of Coach Stevens, the dustup with Colgate midrace), and the satisfaction of completing 4 years of running at a time when I could have easily quit.   

What did you major in at Marist and how did it prepare you for your post-collegiate career?

I majored in Computer Science and minored in Mathematics. The influence of IBM and the number of programming languages we studied prepared me for the volatility of working in today’s ever-changing IT landscape. At my internship, I worked for Texaco Research Center in Beacon. I remember having to teach myself Unix and how that prepared me for the interviews for companies that were hiring on campus.  I felt Marist’s diverse curriculum and internships were in preparing me for the job world.

What year did you graduate Marist and walk us through your work career -- jobs, cities, etc.

I was hired before I graduated from Marist in 1989 by EDS.  I started with them in Morristown, NJ.  I transferred to Dallas in 1990; lived there for about 20 months working in support of AT&T’s long distance bill generation before transferring again to Chicago to support the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) stationed in Ft Sheridan, IL.  I was there until late 1992 when the base relocated to Ft Knox, KY.  I have lived in Louisville, KY ever since supporting the Army’s recruiting applications from the evolution of mainframe apps written in COBOL, fat client apps written in Powerbuilder, client/server apps in Java to mobile apps and cloud applications and services. I have worked with the same basic company through its many iterations of acquisitions and split-offs going from EDS to HP, to HPE, to DXC and now Perspecta. The job has never seemed dull, there is always something new to learn. I have gained a ton of respect for the men and women who serve our country.

Tell us a little bit about your family. When did you get married, how many kids do you have, where do you live currently, how did you get there ... all of it!

Well, I ended up staying in Kentucky because I met and married my wife, Melissa here. I met her in 1994 and we were married in 1996.  We have been blessed with 4 children. My oldest, Samantha, is 21 and will be a senior next year at Eastern Kentucky University. Lily, Lance and Ben are 16 and yes that means they are triplets. I could probably could write a novel on the trials and tribulations of raising triplets. It has been both a rewarding and exhausting experience. 

You've been graduated from Marist for more than 30 years. How much running have you done in that time -- races, marathons, etc. What are some of your post-collegiate running highlights and PRs? And how much are you running currently?

I won’t go into too much depth. My time in Dallas I was fortunate enough to run in a 10k where I won my age group but lost to a few people including a 19-year-old hotshot cyclist by the name of Lance Armstrong. I also competed in but DNFed in the White Rock Marathon in 1990 having to drop out at 23 miles from terrible foot pain that turned out to be a stress fracture. It was disappointing because I was on pace for around a 2:50 finish. It also coincidently was a marathon that Pete was running in too. Looking back, I wish I would have crawled to that finish line because I developed sciatica from two discs in my back shortly thereafter and never fully recovered. I spent a couple of years rehabbing off and on but never could get the strength back in my leg. I have run in several half marathons, my back could never really hold up for the training required to do a marathon. Louisville has a great Triple Crown series where you run a 10k, 10 miler and the half or full marathon leading up to the Kentucky Derby in the spring. I did a bunch of those until my late 30s when I took a long break from running when the triplets were born as there was really no time to work out when they were so young.

By my early 40s, I was jogging to get back into some form of shape when some co-workers of mine convinced me to sign up for the Bourbon Chase, which is a 200-mile team relay through the countryside and distilleries of Kentucky. The run is beautiful and I like that it really doesn’t feel competitive, just a few hundred teams of 12 people jumping out of a van to run three times over 25-30 hours. It totally fits my personality and communal spirit. My favorite leg in that run is the overnight run. Just the stillness of the night, the cool air and stars just seems to bring out the best in me. I have run in 9 of these and body willing the goal is to run 3 more so that I can complete all 36 of the legs. I run about 4-5x a week now and maybe hit 20-25 miles a week. 

You are an avid blog follower, which is great. What differences do you detect from your time at Marist to what we have here now?

I have reflected on this question for some time now. I spent a few years working college fairs for Marist as part of the Alumni Recruiting team so I kept up with the growth of the college from an academic standpoint. Mainly, my knowledge of the Track and XC program is limited to this blog, a few random emails sent to you over the years, and social media stories (and yes that includes DCSB YouTube channel videos!).

Suffice it to say, the biggest difference I see is the stability and continuity of the program. My time at Marist saw two men’s coaches, three women’s coaches (Steve, Debbie Bell and Pam White) and the complete upheaval of the track program. You and Chuck not only stabilized the program, but have elevated the program competitively not just in distance running but in the sprints, jumps and throwing events as well.

The other differences are symbolic of the changes in time. We ran indoors around the McCann track while the basketball team was practicing and we did our 20x400 workouts in xc at the high school. We used to scale the Mid-Hudson Bridge to get over to Highland and ran endlessly through the Psych Center. We reviewed upcoming teams with  “The Good Scout” – a hand written set of results compiled by the coach of the University of Rochester (I still have a few them). I never stepped one foot into the weight room in my time at Marist. Now strength training and the emphasis on core conditioning are as big a part of running as the mileage run. You have a home meet at Vassar Farms. We never had a home meet during my time at Marist. I would have loved to have had the opportunity for a senior day.

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How are you and your family handling the pandemic? What are your thoughts on it and how is your area of the country handling it?

Like all families, it took us awhile to get into a routine. My daughter was studying in Spain when the pandemic began. At first we were consoling her for missing out on opportunities to travel to Italy, Portugal and Morocco during her spring break to waking her up in the middle of the night to get her a flight out of Spain and back home when the President started placing travel bans. She had to self-quarantine for two weeks and had to finish her studies in at home.  Fortunately her and her siblings are all self-sufficient in their academics that it was basically just finding space around the house to conduct Zoom meeting for 4 kids with 4 different schedules. I had been working from home one day a week already, so transitioning to being home every day and with kids around took some adjusting. My wife lost her job as an Occupational Therapist as her caseload dropped. She is hopeful to return as soon as restrictions are lifted here in Kentucky. Governor Beshear has been very aggressive in closing things down early and utilizing a data driven approach to reopening. I feel he has been very effective and has done a great job with removing politics from the equation. 

What message can you convey to our graduating seniors?

Life is a journey. As runners, we uniquely understand the ups and downs that come with training, competing, and managing expectations; both yours and others. Some days we feel great, some days we don’t. Nothing is perfect, plans sometimes have to be made up on the fly. The good news is we don’t journey alone. Take the time to reflect on your journey. Share both the highs and lows of your Marist experience with as many people as you can. Know you have done amazing things and will do amazing more. We all hurt for your losses.  It is ok to hurt too.  But don’t let this setback define you. While your journey as a Marist athlete has ended, we alumni welcome you and will continue to support you on wherever your journey takes you. 

Anything else you'd like to add ... 

Taking time to write this has flooded my mind with great memories, too numerous to share here. It’s been great to take that proverbial walk down memory lane. Thank you, Pete, for this wonderful series. You have allowed us all to grow closer to our extended Marist family. It has been great getting to know so many Foxes beyond just their times on a race sheet. Congratulations to you and Chuck for bringing stability and incredible success to Marist running. I wish you all well and continued success. God Bless!