The Starting Line: Amherst Invitational Sep 18, 2015

Entering its 20th year, the 2015 Amherst Invitational is shaping up to be one of the finer editions in recent history. Taking place on the rolling grass fields of Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, this meet has always served as a telling early season test for New England runners.

The Starting Line: MIAA Division 2 All State Finals Nov 14, 2014

For Newburyport’s Nick Carleo, this fall has been all about the last few weeks of November. He had little concern for competing at major invitationals or glitzy twilight meets that most runners live for throughout the fall. Even last weekend at Eastern Mass. Championships, Carleo was reserved and felt no need to extend himself beyond simply winning the race.

The Starting Line: MIAA Division 1 All State Finals Nov 14, 2014

Nestled in the southern corner of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood is a place of legend and lore. It’s a place that prides itself as home to a cross country course that has seen thousands of runners traverse its paths and woods over the course of a century.

The Starting Line: Eastern Mass Division 6 Championships Nov 07, 2014

The Boys D6 Race should be an excellent duel between last year’s champion and runner-up, Adam Petti of West Bridgewater and Scott McCluskey of Coyle Cassidy. At last year’s race, Petti and McCluskey were right with one another until the halfway point, when Petti broke McCluskey and crusied to a 16:03 victory.

The Starting Line: Eastern Mass Division 5 Championships Nov 07, 2014

There is only one person you’ll have to worry about in the Boys D5 Race and that is Newburyport senior Nick Carleo. Last year, Carleo was runner-up in his divisional race, but he went on to win D2 All States and record the fastest time that day. This fall, Carleo hasn’t skipped a beat and he seems ready for big things come late November. .

The Starting Line: Eastern Mass Division 4 Championships Nov 07, 2014

The Division 4 boys have the great honor of kicking off all the action on Saturday and the battle between Medfield’s Austin Scola and Marblehead’s Andrew Ernst should make for a great start to the day. The Medfield senior enters the race as the slight favorite over Ernst. So far this season, Scola has run 16:10 at Franklin Park, dropped a 15:40 for 3rd overall at the Twilight Meet, and won the Tri Valley League Meet two weeks ago. 

The Starting Line: Eastern Mass Division 3 Championships Nov 07, 2014

In Saturday’s D3 race, Mathew Dynan looks to be the class of the field. The senior from Reading opened his season with a respectable 16:48 at Bay States and, a week later, ran 16:06 to take 10th in a talented field at the Twilight Invitational. Just last week, Dynan ran 16:13 for 2nd at the MSTCA Coaches Invite and seems ready for a big race on Saturday.

The Starting Line: Eastern Mass Division 2 Championships Nov 06, 2014

On Saturday, the D2 boys race will be a battle between two of Massachusetts’s finest mid-distance runners, PJ Garmon of Billerica and Quinn Cooney of Chelmsford. All season long Garmon has looked to be in excellent form, except two weeks ago when we saw a chink in the armor at the Merrimack Valley Conference meet. 

The Starting Line: Eastern Mass Division 1 Championships Nov 06, 2014

The legendary hot beds of running—Boulder, Flagstaff, and Eugene—and where high profile runners flock to train and live are for the most part in the West. But here, on the other side of the country, Eastern Massachusetts seems to be where these legends emerge and begin their journey to greatness. 

The Starting Line: Central Mass Championships Nov 06, 2014

It’s hard to fathom toeing the line on a cold November morning, while you’re in the middle of a long run on a hot summer day. It’s hard to fathom outkicking a rival competitor in the final stretches of a race, while your ragged body is churning through one last set of intervals in early September. 

The Starting Line: Western Mass Championships Nov 06, 2014

The leaves are beginning to disappear from the trees, the temperature is slowly creeping south and daylight is becoming scarce. As we advance towards late fall, the weather is not the only thing changing; mileage begins to drop, workouts become shorter and quicker, and there is an intense focus and dedication for the meets that lie ahead. 

The Starting Line: MSTCA Bob McIntyre Twilight Invitational Oct 17, 2014

As many runners can attest to, there is something uniquely different about stepping out the door and going for a run in the darkness of night. Almost from the start, your heart is beating a little quicker, you feel a little faster, and in some cases you’re running scared. Now take all of those components, substitute your front door with a starting line, throw in a few hundred fans and you’ll have this Saturday’s Bob McIntyre Twilight Invitational in Barnstable. Over the years, this meet has grown in popularity and that is due in large part to the lure of racing at night, but also because of the fast Barnstable Fair Grounds course. On Saturday night, 100+ teams will be converging at the Twilight Invitational and we promise that there will be electricity in the air and fast times thrown down.

The Starting Line: Bay State Invitational Oct 02, 2014

The month of September has come and gone, and now as we enter October the days are becoming shorter and shorter. As daylight fades, the opportunities to toe the line become more and more precious. Teams have worked out their kinks and, over the past few weekends, began to test their strength. This weekend’s Bay State Invitational will serve as another important stepping stone in the long fall campaign. Hosted on the formidable Franklin Park XC course, the meet showcases the challenges of both “The Wilderness” and “Bear Cage Hill”. It will give many teams a chance to preview the All State course, but they must be prepared to handle the competition and terrain.

The Starting Line: Frank Kelley Invitational Sep 25, 2014

Slowly but surely the cross country season is starting to come alive. Two weeks ago, we officially kicked off the season with the Vineyard XC Invitational. Last weekend, we saw some impressive racing out in Western Mass at the Amherst Invitational. Now we find ourselves in the third week of September, facing one of the busiest cross country weekends of the year. Starting Friday and going through Saturday, over 4,000 HS and Middle School runners will flock to Warwick, RI, for the 6th Annual Ocean State XC Invitational. On Saturday, we will see a lot of competitive action at Derryfield Park for the Manchester Invitational. If you’re searching for local Massachusetts action, look no further than this Saturday’s Frank Kelley Invitational. Year in and year out, this meet is home to close races across all divisions and this Saturday should be no exception!

The Starting Line: Amherst Invitational Sep 18, 2014

A new feature on Milesplitmass will be "The Starting Line". Each week we will run a preview of the weekend action. We will do our best to link all the profiles as well as the teams within the article. This week we take a look at the Amherst Invitational, the first major Invitational in Massachusetts for the 2014 season.