Jared Gellar- Wakefield High School
"I can't say enough about Jared's perseverance, dedication, leadership, and work ethic over his time at Wakefield High School. He squeezed every bit of potential out of himself with his consistent hard work, and as a result, improved more than any athlete I have ever been around. It won't surprise me one bit if he continues to excel in this sport. Potential state champions, struggling beginners, and everyone in between should take notice of what he has accomplished, and realize it really is true that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish some amazing things." -Coach Pappas
What do you enjoy doing outside of your running?
Outside of running, I enjoy playing a round of golf, playing ultimate Frisbee, riding my bike around the North Shore, and studying history.
What are you going to miss most about your high school running career?
Since I do not plan on running with a team at college, I will miss the weekly (and sometimes more often than that) races, balancing nervousness and confidence before those races, and making my coach proud with each new personal record. Beyond the running itself, I enjoyed how cross country and track would attract all different kinds of people: athletes, bookworms, sports fans, partygoers, mutes, etc. Despite the differences, the hard work require in this sport brings everyone together, which is more fun when there is a heterogeneous group. This exists on many college level teams, but not to the extent that it does at the high school level.
What was your most memorable race?
I can think of many races that I remember down to the last detail, but the one that stands out the most would have to be my first cross country race as a junior in 2011. After training hard over the summer, I was able to run faster than ever before on the home course, besting my record from the previous year by over two-minutes. When I crossed the finish line, I remember the look of astonishment on my coach’s face.
Out of all your high school running accomplishments, what stands out the most?
For no apparent reason, I have run the two mile more than any other race during track. The first time I ran that type of race was at an away meet at Reading High School as a freshman in the spring of 2010. To this day my time for that race is still disputed, but it is agreed upon that it was somewhere in the range of fifteen to seventeen minutes. My older brother, a javelin thrower, was embarrassed to introduce me as the little brother who lost to every single girl in a two-mile race. After three years I was able to achieve a 10:03 at the state meet, a time I never thought possible for me.
What was the most difficult obstacle you had to overcome?
Year-round running caused me to deal with several obstacles, such as balancing school and sports, running in extreme heat over the summer and extreme cold in the winter, and maintaining the proper form. Of the three, the first proved to be the biggest challenge, especially during junior year, considered to be the hardest of the four years of high school. I could expect to do 2-3 hours of homework every night thanks to my AP U.S. History class. Even still, I was usually exhausted when I came home from running. To solve the problem, I started doing homework immediately after I got home, as many times before I had fallen asleep at my desk. Once I got used to the cycle, it was not so bad. Now that I am about to enter college, those AP scores have proved to have been worth the effort, as they have placed me out of many general education requirements.
Do you have any advice for younger runners?
Yes. Firstly, do not become discouraged because of those naturally talented or more experienced runners. What matters to you should be your own personal achievements, not your achievements relative to those of someone else. As a senior, I had several underclassmen rivaling my former times. In my mind, I knew that I achieved much more in my four years, as I went from a 15+ minute two-mile to a 10:03, a 6:07 mile to a 4:45, and a 23 minute 5k to a 16:59. While I did not become the best runner in the state, the league, or even on my own team, I am still proud of all I was able to accomplish. Second, run over the summer. You would not believe the advantage that an extra two months of training gives you. If you run with your team in the morning, you will avoid the heat and you will have the rest of the day for anything. Running can easily be scheduled around work, summer reading, and down time. Taking initiative over the summer is a big step towards being more responsible and it will provide many fun memories with your teammates as well. When the season comes around, considering all that hard work done in the heat is a big confidence booster.
If you were to change anything about your high school running career.....what would you change?
I wish that I could have started summer running earlier on in high school. I did not start until after sophomore year, and I know that I could have seen bigger improvements at a younger age had I started a bit earlier.
What are your college plans?
I plan on majoring in engineering at the University of Massachusetts: Amherst. I do not plan on joining the Division I track and cross country teams, but I do plan on joining the running club. There still is a chance that I might try out for the team, as my high school coach has been pressuring me to do so…
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to thank all of my coaches throughout the years: Coach Deke, Coach Pappas, and Coach Reinoso. Coach Deke was always punctual even though he was in his mid-eighties. He also was very understanding and allowed for all athletes to have a smooth season, whether during cross country or indoor track. My favorite memory of Coach Deke was when he would motivate you in practice or during races by making the sound of a train-whistle. Coach Pappas is by far the most dedicated coach I have ever met. Senior year, when he was promoted to head coach of cross country, he was given a team in which five of the seven varsity members had graduated, and he still managed to turn a young team into one with an outstanding record. In his spare time, he does research and attends seminars on new ways to improve warm-ups, runs, and core work-outs. I can honestly say that Coach Pappas is not only great at training his athletes, but also at getting to know his athletes on a personal level. This definitely makes his athletes respect him more as a coach which, in turn, leads to greater motivation to complete that workout or run that faster time. Coach Reinoso, the head coach of outdoor and later indoor track during my four years, was an expert in all things track. Being a teacher and a coach at the high school, he would see many of us for several hours six days a week during and after school. He would even attend indoor track meets several towns away when he was not a coach for that season. Despite that, he never became sick of any of his athletes and always had something positive to say. I would also like to thank the Wakefield Track Boosters Club for funding banquets and more, which contributed to some of the fondest memories I had with my teammates. Also, I would like to thank my teammates for being so supportive on the sidelines. In addition, they put up with not having a track for a year due to construction. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for attending as many of my meets as they could, sometimes an hour away, sometimes in freezing