Bidding his time early on, Tristan Shelgren of St. John's Prep at comfortably in the lead pack as they headed over the bridge and into the famous back hills. Though as they came off the roller coaster hills, Shelgren was in a hole and found himself about five seconds off the race leader from St. Benedicts NJ. Remaining calm and relying on his past Manhattan experiences, Shelgren began to turn it up and reel back in the lead pack as they headed descended onto the final straightaway. In the final half mile, Shelgren left the competition in the dust and powered home to win the race in 12:44.20, which would be the fastest time of the day for a MA runner.
Words from our Winners
"The race went out fast, but I wasn't shocked by that because you have to get out or you won't be able to pass people. Later on in the race during the roller coaster hills three guys separated from me and I really just had to dig deep, to make sure they didn't get away. Then I just used the down hills to my advantage and would press there and that's where I made my final move on the last down hill. Winning this meet has given me a big confidence booster for the upcoming weeks. Also to know that when I get tired I cannot let that separation form, but if it does I might be able to come back from it." - Tristian Shelgren