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By Joe Reardon
The final 200 meters of the 400 is not only Waltham’s Nathan PierreLouis’s strength, it’s also what separates the lanky 18-year-old from the deep talent in his event.
No better example of PierreLouis’s undeniable talent came with his recent performance in the Coaches Invitational at steamy Dilboy Stadium in Somerville. Racing against Catholic Memorial speedster Donovan Henry, PierreLouis stayed in control as Henry shot down the back straight to what looked to be an insurmountable lead. Once PierreLouis made his move, though, the race was all but over. Running tall and straight as an arrow, PierreLouis began to chew up the track with his long stride heading into the third turn. He drew even with Henry and pulled away over the final 100 meters to finish with a new personal best of 47.95. Henry, who had superb race himself, was second with a very quick time of 49.20. The defending state champion in the event, PierreLouis accomplished his season goal of breaking 48 with a full month left in the season. The win was also satisfying on a personal level after finishing second to Henry in the 300 indoors at the state meet. A clerical foul up kept PierreLouis out of the seeded heat. He handily won his heat on the Reggie Lewis Center but his time was just short of Henry’s gold medal effort.
PierreLouis was initially going to run the 600, but a nagging shins injury forced him to drop down. “This was my first indoor season,” he said. “I ran the 600 to get ready for the 400 outdoors. My legs couldn’t take the pressure of the 600 by states so I asked my coach if I could move down to the 300.”
That performance came on the heels of his thorough domination at the Weston Twilight Invitation. PierreLouis once again left the field defenseless to his final 200 run to the tape, clocking 48.46. Newton North’s Ryan Lucken was second in 49.77. PierreLouis also owned the runway and pit with a 43-11-½ victory in the triple jump. A true all-around talent, PierreLouis has clocked 21.74 in the 200 and cleared 6-feet in the high jump during practice with no training in the event.
His 400 in Weston, while very fast, was not a 100-percent effort. “I went hard but not all out because I had to do the triple jump and trials for the 200,” said PierreLouis. Waltham head coach Keith Levan considered the Weston meet to be very telling as to where PierreLouis stands going forward. “The Twilight Invitational was good,” said Levan. “Until you get that automatic time you don’t know where you’re really at. He’s very easy going and laid back, but he understands on a work day he needs to work.
“He’s a tough kid to read. At this point I look forward to when he’s nervous. He really knows how to race.”
PierreLouis is without doubt the best Waltham High athlete to step on its track. His indoor and outdoor school records include the 200, 300, 400, triple jump and part of the 4x400 along with teammates Dino Avdagic, Junior Chery and Zach Johnson.
At this point in his senior year, PierreLouis wants to continue dropping his time with defense of his 400 state title looming in the not-so-distant future. And as tough as he’s been this season in the 400, PierreLouis knows better than anyone there is still room for improvement in his specialty. “I want to be able to go harder in the first 200,” PierreLouis said. “How I race is when I hit 200 to go, I go all out. When I first started doing it, I used to go all out from the start and at the end I would gas out. I’ve learned to go hard, get my stride and then go hard the last 200.”
The workout that makes PierreLouis all the more dangerous over the final 200 is not for the faint of heart. After a warm up, PierreLouis runs five, 200 repeats in 25-26 seconds with just a 90 second rest between each. The workout simulates the exhaustion he feels over the second half of the 400 and gets him used to running relaxed and efficiently with lactic buildup in his legs.
With the resume PierreLouis is quickly building, he knows there is no way he can compete under the radar and catch the competition off guard. Those days are over. He is now the marked man, a position he assumes with mixed feelings. “I feel like I have a big X on my back and everybody’s going for it,” PierreLouis said. “It’s exciting and kind of scary at the same time. You never know what’s going to happen on any given day - who’s going to pop out. Once I get on the track it’s anybody’s game. We’re all fighting for the same thing.”
PierreLouis moved to the U.S. five years ago from Haiti and was an immediate success in soccer, basketball and track in junior high. He competed in the 200 until halfway through his sophomore year when he clocked a 53 and change in the 400. Later in the season he dropped his time down to quick 50.6 and he had his event.
The one chink in PierreLouis’s armor are the shin splints that have plagued him since last winter. He spends an hour getting his shins worked on in the training room before working out and he keeps constant tabs on how they feel. He may not be able to compete in the triple jump at the class meet if his shins are burning the day of the meet. “It all depends on how I feel that day,” PierreLouis said. “If I feel I can do it, I’ll go for it. I always do my workouts. Sometimes it’s harder when the pain is there.”
The shins, though, don’t bother him in the 400. “Once he gets in a competitive situation the shins aren’t an issue,” said Levan. “They’re more of an issue during practice. I think last year he really figured out how to run the 400. This is still a learning process.”
Even with the wins, medals and records, PierreLouis’s love for track comes down to the camaraderie with his teammates and opponents. “I love the interaction with the other competitors,” he said. “You race the same people a lot and you joke around with them. It’s a great environment to be in after school.”
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