For those of you returning to campus for Homecoming (Alumni) Weekend!
We will have an informal "meet and greet" at the Track at Gartland Commons on Saturday from 10a until 12 noon o'clock. Hope you can MAKE it back to campus.
For those of you returning to campus for Homecoming (Alumni) Weekend!
We will have an informal "meet and greet" at the Track at Gartland Commons on Saturday from 10a until 12 noon o'clock. Hope you can MAKE it back to campus.
A few venue for an old meet!
Bethpage State Park
Bethpage, NY (Long Island)
Saturday, October 17
Women's ECAC Championship at 12 noon
Men's IC4A Championship at 12:45p
We will have 13 women entered and 10 men entered.
This will also be the site of the NCAA Northeast Regional, on Friday, November 13.
A solid day for our bare-minimum (5 finishers) squad on a perfect fall morning in New Jersey. Junior Kevin Cannon (Cannon) had a major breakthrough race, sending notice that he intends to be in our lead pack when championship season arrives.
He's a bit of a legend in the New Jersey track/cross country circles. Everyone knows him as "brother Lamar," and he spreads the gospel of love, Jesus and an endless supply of neckties. He stopped over to our team area and insisted that the seniors in the picture wore ties. Great to see him, as always, on a beautiful fall morning in Newark.
We have a partial squad of men (only) traveling to Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ, for the NJIT Highlander Invitational. Men's race is at 10:30a.
We will always remember Paul Short 2026 for what it wasn't: The races that never happened for Marist men's and women's cross country, after the Brown Division (among other) races were canceled due to the medical emergency caused by the heat.
But we should also never forget Paul Short 2026 for what it was for our one, solitary athlete who DID race: Senior Rachael Turek, in the women's open race at 10:15a.
We traveled to Paul Short with a relatively small roster -- relative to our past big teams. This is the reality now, the new normal of smaller rosters.
We brought our top squad of men -- seven were scheduled to race -- and our entire women's roster of 13 active runners.
Of those 13, 10 were scheduled to race in the Brown Division and three in the Open. Two of the scheduled Open runners were coming off recent illnesses. We determined earlier in the week that racing at less than 100 percent, in the forecasted shit show of bad weather, made no sense. Instead, they did a workout on the course before the Open races.
That left Rachael as our lone entrant in the Open race -- and, as it turned out, in the entire meet!
Earlier in the week, I gave Rachael the option of not racing solo, instead coming back next Saturday at NJIT with a partial squad. She declined this offer, wanting to race Paul Short and being undaunted by being a one-woman team.
Along with graduate assistant Grace LaCapra, we "huddled" near starting box 21, which Rach "shared" with a large contingent of Roger Williams runners. I joked about our "huddle" and, being the wiseass that I am, said: "Rachael on 3 ... 1-2-3 Rachael!" She was a good sport. Rach is always a good sport.
What Rachael is NOT is a fan of hot-weather running.
Rach loves the cold. She's the one who is stripping off layers BEFORE heading outside for a run in 35-degree weather.
So anyway ... how did our one-woman team do? Rachael did GREAT.
She finished 222nd out of 408 finishers and 20 DNFs in the 6km, running a solid time of 25:03.1. She improved 26 places throughout the race, looked strong ... and yes, she managed the heat quite well.
Most importantly, she set the tone for the rest of the team, a message that the heat could be conquered. It was a message that ultimately never mattered. But Rachael's race mattered -- a lot -- to us, and we are grateful that Rachael Turek is now forever the answer to the following trivia question:
Which Marist athlete is the only runner to have completed a race at the 2026 Paul Short Run?
Because of excessive heat, the second half of the Paul Short Run cross country meet was CANCELED this afternoon.
The included the two Brown championship races in which we were entered.
So ... we are on the bus ride home now, instead of cheering on our athletes on the sun-baked course.
It's a really weird feeling. This has never happened (to us) before. We are in the process of processing our emotions and planning a pathway forward.
For the past three decades, Paul Short has been a key delineation marker of our fall XC season. After Paul Short, we round the corner toward championship races. Before Paul Short, we either don't race and/or train through early season September meets.
Now ... what?
We're figuring that out.
Now ... we can be grateful that we didn't get into harm's way on a ridiculous, midsummer like day on October 2, while still trying to figure out how to move forward with our training, now that we don't have a key race from which to recover.
No Paul Short today for us. Weird feeling indeed.
Men's Brown division race at 2p
Women's Brown division race at 2:45p
It will be very hot there. Again. With temperatures about 20 degrees above normal.
We love this meet. We don't love its weather (most years)
In case you haven't already HEARD!
Saturday's Victory Lap celebration has been canceled due to the impending rainy 🌧 and windy weather.
We will host all alums and other Friends of the Program on the Saturday morning of Homecoming (Alumni) Weekend, from 10a to 12 noon o clock, at the Track at Gartland Commons.
Hopefully! We'll see 👀 you THEN or soon.
Thank you for understanding.
THIS IS VERY EXCITING! The throws field at South Field is complete(d), with (state-of-the-art) hammer/discus cage, dual shot put circles and a javelin approach. Next time you are ON CAMPUS, come check it OUT.
We have it scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026. As of right now, one (1) person has registered in advance. If we don't get adequate interest, we will cancel. I do not want to cancel. So if you are interested or know someone interested in attending, please spread the word for you/them to register. Here is the link to register:
Hope to see you then or soon ...
An Alert Reader pointed out that this blog hit the 5 million mark in terms of page views last week. He also noted that the "hits" counter may be accumulating with the aid of unknown, mysterious "Bots" ... and that's true.
This blog has been in "business" for 20 years now, with the first posts dating back to 2007. I don't post nearly as much as I did in the 2010s and early 2020s ... and I appreciate the few readers who still follow along.
Here's to 5 million more page views -- even fake ones!
On Saturday afternoon, Forever Fox Lisa (D'Aniello) Chase (Class of 2008) did an amazing presentation for our women's XC team. The topic was all the lessons she has learned from a lifetime of running -- starting at age 6 as a kid growing up in Connecticut, all the way to the present day, where she is thriving as a masters runner (having turned 40 earlier this year). Her information and messaging was SO important for dedicated, young, female distance runners to hear.
It should be noted that in this picture, the team members in the audience were not being rude (on their phones). Lisa was talking about the pitfalls of Strava as a comparison tool (much like all social media) and had them pull up Strava and show them that they could change their privacy settings. It was one of MANY outstanding information points (and lessons) that culminated an awesome day that saw Lisa meet the team at Minnewaska for a run, come back to campus and do this presentation. One of my all-time preseason highlights. Thank you, Lisa. Neat.
Preseason cross country training has begun, with a lot of familiar activities (pictures to follow).
On Wednesday, the teams went to the Staatsburgh State Historic Site for the traditional "Mills Hills" workout.
On Thursday, the team went to Vassar Farm for a run-through of the season opener course.
On Friday, the teams went to the New Paltz rail trail, parking at the "Sojourner Truth Kayak Lot" for some easy/steady running with pickups.
On Saturday, the teams went to Minnewaska State Park Preserve, which was bustling with activity - the Vassar XC teams were there, among others. Marist alum Spencer Bossi-Johnson (a Vassar XC assistant coach) was there too!
On Sunday, it's move-out day, as the athletes move from preseason housing at Ward Hall into their permanent on- or off-campus residences.
The weather so far has been favorable -- warm and relatively low humidity, and no rain (during practice time anyway). Here's hoping for more of the same in the coming days and weeks.
There has been some interest in a Marist Track team store for team gear. Here is the link. If there is further interest in the future, we can have BSN Sports reopen the team store.
Please note: This is your opportunity to get Marist team gear. If and when you visit campus, please refrain from asking me if there are "any extra shirts laying around" that you can have. We don't do that anymore. We order what we need for the team and that's it. Any surpluses go back to the team.
Not to sound like a grumpy old man but ... the world is Really Expensive now. Everything. Our operating budget included. It's why we are constantly asking for your support through Day of Giving and other such enterprises.
So anyway! If you want team gear? Here (again) is the link: Red Fox Track Team Store
Nice to see Marist Campus Safety getting into the preseason spirit. XC teams return to campus on Tuesday and the first practices are on Wednesday. Neat.
An alert team member texted me a picture of this classic photo -- the 1985 men's cross country team at Marist College. That fall (1985) was the first time Marist fielded a women's team as well! The above photo of the XC team from 41 (!) years ago includes two current Metro Conference cross country/track coaches. Yet another cross country season begins here at Marist next week with the start of preseason. The road goes on forever.
Here are the updated boards -- women's indoor track, women's outdoor track, men's indoor track, men's outdoor track. It is so cool to see so many 2026s (and a few 2025s) on this board! Hoping to have a similar chore next summer ...
With the help of my son James, we updated the school record boards in the hallway of the McCann Center on Monday afternoon. Here is a scattering of the old records that were removed from the board. We will discard these OR/AND save them for the (previous) record holder(s) to keep as a souvenir.
Amari Mathis had a good first day (of competition) down in Lima.
In the "it's a small world" department ... Marist Forever Fox Track Alum Eli Bisnett-Cobb spotted Amari's Marist track shirt and met up with him for this impromptu Fox reunion. Eli is in Peru with the University of San Diego volleyball team, serving as the team's head athletic trainer.
Below is a photo of Amari at practice on the track, taken by Coach Alisha.
This photo of Amari Mathis, his parents, and Coach Alisha was taken from the Miami airport as they were en route to Lima, Peru, where they arrived in the early-morning hours today (Monday, 27 July). Amari was selected to be part of the USA track and field contingent at an international meet, and Coach Alisha was selected to be among the track coaching staff. More details on the meet will follow, but this is a really exciting opportunity for Amari and Coach Alisha! Amari will be racing later this week -- events and dates/times are still pending. Highly neat!!!
Congrats to Marist alum (Class of 2021) Lauren Harris for her USATF national championship in the half-marathon racewalk, which she won in 1:38:35.56, almost 10 minutes ahead of Maria Michta-Coffey, perhaps the greatest USA racewalker in history who is still among the elites in the sport at age 40. Lauren races for NYAC. Congrats also to Marist alum Katie Miale (New England Walkers) for her 10th-place finish in 2:06:40.61.
Here is (yet another) Marist Alumni picture (no banner, no problem) from Friday night's blessed nuptials for Brianne (Brie) Vess to her (new) husband, Calvin. Always a treat to attend (these).
Consider this a Save The Date notice. Or, really? Save The Dates ...
Friday and Saturday, April 16-17: Red Fox River Rumble 2.0. We will move to a two-day format to accommodate the throws events on campus + we may add distance race(s) under the lights on Friday.
Saturday and Sunday, May 8-9: Metro Conference Championships. That's right. The (what used to be the MAAC) meet will be hosted at Marist for the first time. Pretty exciting! Hope you can make it back for this historic event.
So, put these dates on the calendar and make it back to the Track at Gartland Commons (as well as the still-under-construction) Throws Field at South Field next to the McCann Recreation Center.
I just saw a very interesting article about the USATF Outdoor Track Championships and the fact that Icahn Stadium in New York City will be the host. That's right. A major national/international (track) meet is being held ... and it is NOT in TrackTown USA (Eugene, Oregon). This is a huge development!
Icahn Stadium is a fantastic -- if oddly located -- track venue. It is on Randalls Island, sitting underneath the Triboro Bridge and floating between the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. It is technically part of Manhattan. It's not easy to get to, but it is worth the trip.
This article quotes Lauren Primerano extensively. Lauren is a Manhattan College track alum and she runs the show at Ocean Breeze. She is a mover and a shaker in the NYC track scene, and she deserves a lot of credit for getting the USATF meet here in the metropolitan area, just days after Giants Stadium in New Jersey (I know it's technically called "Met Life Stadium" but it'll always be Giants Stadium to me!) hosted the World Cup final on Sunday.
So for a few days anyway, NYC (or, at least, a small part of it) becomes TrackTown USA!
Here is an alumni picture from Thursday's wedding in Glens Falls/Queensbury. Congrats to Christine Coughlin (now Brown!) - beautiful night for a beautiful couple (Christine and Willie are not pictured here, just her Forever Fox Faithful). Neat.
Our cross country schedule is (mostly) set and a Very Alert and Loyal Alum pointed that for the quite possibly first time in the 64-year program history (other than the Fall of Covid 2020) there will be no meets on the schedule at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Say it ain't so!
Well ... welcome to the New World Order of cross country, which actually isn't All That New. Courses tend to be more flat, more loopy and less hilly. Thus ... (the original layout of) Vanny has been consigned to the scrap heap of the past. Oh sure, there are still a few meets on the original course (most notably, the Iona Meet of Champions). But for the most part ... not.
There was a time when the majority of the team's meets were at Vanny: Iona MOC, Mets, IC4A/ECAC, Conference, and sometimes NCAA Northeast Regionals. Now? NO.
Here's our 2026 XC schedule
Friday, September 4: Marist Season Opener at Vassar Farm (new this year: early evening start on Friday). Also new? No senior day! That will be in April 2027 on our TRACK
Saturday, September 19: Jasper Fall XC meet at Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown, NY (Orange County, close to Twin Ponds venue of the past few years). Note: This is a new venue, which will also host the Metro Conference (formerly the MAAC) Championships on Halloween.
Friday, October 2: Paul Short Run at Lehigh
Saturday, October 10: Metropolitan Championships, venue TBA. Note: There is a CHANCE that this meet (which currently has no venue) could be held at Van Cortlandt, thus continuing the "streak" ... there is also a chance that we may not even race at this meet! Stay tuned ...
Saturday, October 17: IC4A/ECAC Championships at Bethpage State Park, Long Island. Also the site of the NCAA Northeast Regional meet
Saturday, October 31: Metro Conference (aka MAAC) Championships at Blue Sky in Middletown, NY (Orange County, close to Twin Ponds venue of the past few years)
Friday, November 13: NCAA Northeast Regional at Bethpage
That's it for now...
As a (quick) follow-up to previous post! It is CONFIRMED that the Victory Lap 2.0 will be on Saturday, September 26, with a late-afternoon start time.
There will be a (Marist) football game that day, with a 12 noon o'clock start, so they want us to start our festivities after the game is over and parking/campus is a little less congested. Of course! You are always welcome to come early and support the Red Foxes' football team before our track celebration.
Based on (the very limited) feedback from alums: We will have an Alumni/Open Mile and we will have children's races. Other thoughts/options are welcome - let me know via email (Peter.Colaizzo@marist.edu) or text (845 309 3640).
One other concept: We will like to welcome back (and honor) all previous (and current) school record holders! So if you still hold (or you used to hold) a school record on the track, come back and be recognized for your greatness!
We would like to thank (in advance, pun intended) our Advancement Office for their help and support with this event. They noted that last year's Victory Lap had the biggest attendance (in terms of sheer numbers) of any such alumni event. They also noted that we (meaning ME) should not expect as big of a turnout for 2.0. So, here's a challenge: Prove them wrong! Come back, and bring friends!
Hope you have a good Holiday Weekend.
Saturday, September 26, in the mid/late afternoon
Similar format, we may expand the race offerings.
A celebration of the track, with alumni, family and friends.
It is NOT on the same weekend as the Dutchess County Classic this year but it IS on the same corresponding weekend as last year's Victory Lap.
More details on registration and programming of the day to follow later in the summer.
Note: This is YOUR day (alumni and family and friends) so we are open to YOUR suggestions on what you would like to see and do.
We said we wanted to make this an Annual Event ... so here we go!
FYI? The first year of the New Track (by the way? the formal name is The Track at Gartland Commons but we just call it "the track" or "North Field") was friggin awesome.
If you haven't been back to see it, now is the time! If you have already been back, now is the time to return! From my perspective, every day at the track is an awesome day. It will never get old (for me). I hope you feel the same way.
Congrats to Marist Running Superstar Lisa Chase for her truly outstanding race at Albany's Run For Women 5km last Saturday. This is a national/international caliber field of women's racers and Lisa proved that she is "mastering" her new age division!
But rather than telling you more about it, allow me to poach Lisa's post-race post on Strava, along with the finish photo. Great job, Lisa!
Really proud of this one - not quite as fast as Barn to Bridge last fall but on a harder course I'd say this was my best 5k ever. Super motivated by all my amazing teammates and humbled to be part of the elite field. 19th overall; 3rd master.
Addie also ran the 5k, with her friend Sonia, and they finished holding hands in 33:10. But the real hero of the day was Will who thought he was running the mile but no one was there to tell the kids to turn around so he got sucked into the 3k (and finished in under 18 minutes!)
Thanks John Kinnicutt for the finish photo.
Thanks to loyal alum Marty McGowan for sending me this nearly month-old link from GoredFoxes with one of the worst headlines I can imagine (see also, "burying the lead") about the MAAC All-Academic Teams for track. "MAAC Announces Outdoor Track & Field All Academic Teams" was the headline. Back when I was in journalism class (or out in the Real World of journalism), we would call this a "no sh*t" headline. As in, no sh*t, they announced the team! What's buried deep in the story? Marist's men's track team had the most number of All Academic selections in the conference! How about "Men's Track Leads the Way in Academic Honorees" ... or something like that.
Gosh, I sound like a Bitter Old Man, don't I?
Anyway, we had 28 men (first place) and 28 women (third place) who qualified for MAAC All Academic honors. We are proud of this. And, as we always used to say, "hey, at least we're First Place in Something!
The MAAC is no MORE!
Same conference = different name.
Introducing the Metro Conference.
Are you CONFUSED? Don't be.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has rebranded and renamed to the Metro Conference (see new logo above).
Nothing else has changed other than the NAME.
As with any changes, there are varied opinions.
My opinion? None. I'm neutral (plus, we knew this was coming). Our goal to Be Better in conference championships doesn't change ... even if the name does.
Anthony Citera (Class of 2024, Marist College) just doubled up on his Marist degrees (Class of 2026, Marist University) by completing his two-year physician assistant (PA) program. The ceremony was on Thursday but we didn't get a chance to grab a photo, but he flagged me down as I was sneaking out of the Friday commencement (where his brother received his undergraduate degree!) and we got this picture. I am now calling him Dr. Tony. Yes, I know, PA is not MD or DO, but his depth and breadth of knowledge is similar, and he will be one of my alum go-to sources for medical information. Citera wants to pursue Emergency Medicine. Very proud of him! Tony started his PA studies just days after completing his undergraduate degree, so it's been a long haul for him since those dark Covid days of my yelling at him for not running with a mask on campus.
Emily Litke, Class of 2026, decided to show her steeplechase form -- in her graduation dress! Gladly, she ditched her dangerous red high heels. Emily will return for a fifth year of eligibility in 2026-2027 in cross country + outdoor track. Farewell + see you soon!
Congrats to Tanner Senius, Class of 2019 (kneeling on the left) on his wedding on Friday night, which was a big Marist alum party -- his wife Katie is a 2019 alum as well, even though, remarkably, they didn't KNOW each other during their time at Marist! There are numerous Marist track alums in this photo, including a stunningly conspicuous Kutchy (come ON, man!). It was a great time and a first for me -- commencement earlier in the day, followed by an alumni wedding. Neat!