There’s little or no Paul Bergeron has left to probability heading into his senior 12 months because the defending Div. 1 Meet of Champions winner.
Gone are his two greatest rivals – Sam Burgess of Framingham and St. John’s Prep’s Nathan Lopez – each of whom Bergeron pulled away from within the ultimate mile on a cold day final November on the three.1-mile Devens format. Bergeron bounded throughout the end line for the win in 15:02.6 per week after ending second within the Div. 1A meet to Burgess.
Bergeron stands alone because the overwhelming favourite to win come November in his ultimate cross nation season earlier than heading off to Stanford. And with an outstanding monitor marketing campaign within the spring that produced two startling private bests of 8:51.88 within the 2-mile and 4:10 within the mile, Bergeron’s inventory has solely risen.
Under the watchful eye of Westford Academy head coach Scott Hafferkamp, Bergeron has packed in 75-80-miles per week constantly for the reason that finish of monitor and his exercises aren’t for the faint of coronary heart.
“He’s been a lot over the summer,” mentioned Hafferkamp. “As far as the mileage we’ve been very careful. He’s very smart about it.”
Bergeron’s key exercise has been his weekly 15-16 mile lengthy runs, which he works all the way down to six-minute tempo. He frolicked at altitude in Boulder, CO the place he averaged 6:30 tempo for 16 miles at 9,000 ft. Bergeron solely plans on dropping all the way down to 65-70 miles the week main as much as the ultra-competitive Ocean State Invitational, the place he raced to a strong second-place end final fall.
The excessive mileage and cross coaching have suited Bergeron and he feels as assured and wholesome as ever shifting ahead. “I’m really in tune with my body right now,” he mentioned. “I’ve done volume training this summer and increased my mileage carefully. It’s all been planned out. My body can handle a lot. I want to be a contender for a national title and I’m doing everything I can to get there.
“Compared to where I was last year I’m miles ahead now.”
Hafferkamp has seen Bergeron’s dedication and burning want to run nicely up shut. “He is doing all the little things that keep him healthy,” he mentioned. “Paul committed himself to the running lifestyle. He has the concept of training and what his body can do.”
Bergeron must be checked out as one of many heavy favorites on the nationwide degree as nicely. Not solely did he take house wins on the Meet of Champions, Bay State Invitational and Dual County League Championship in 2022, Bergeron additionally reduce a distinct segment for himself nationally. At the Champs Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships he battled over the hilly Van Cortlandt Park format within the Bronx and completed third in a fast 15:30.8. Two weeks later on the nationwide meet at Balboa Park in San Diego, Bergeron got here house with a Fifteenth-place displaying towards one of the best harriers within the nation.
“I’ll go into those meets with a lot more confidence after experiencing them last year,” he mentioned.
A few nagging accidents prevented Bergeron from actually unloading through the indoor season, however his winter marketing campaign was hardly a bust. Bergeron lowered his 2-mile private finest to a stellar 9:04.07 and clocked a 4:19.10 mile. Overall although, he was upset he couldn’t run even sooner after such a terrific cross nation season.
“I had loftier goals coming out of cross country,” Bergeron mentioned. “I had breathing issues and couldn’t do strides. I was just working off my cross country base.”
Bergeron rebounded nicely with an elite spring marketing campaign and he has been constructing momentum ever since. Along with Ocean State, he’ll almost certainly compete on the Twilight Invitationals, together with hopefully main the Grey Ghosts to the DCL title.
Westford Academy ought to have one other large season after ending second to Brookline on the Meet of Champions. The Grey Ghosts will probably be powerful up entrance with Bergeron, Jack Graffeo and Davis Haines. Haines is a terrific expertise who flew underneath the radar final fall with a private better of 16:01 on the Wrentham format. Graffeo got here up large on the Meet of Champions with an eighth-place end and has the combo of velocity and endurance that makes him harmful up entrance or shifting his method by way of the pack.
“The guys had a good summer and it’s a matter of staying healthy,” mentioned Hafferkamp. “We’re getting a sense of who we have from the fourth to tenth runners.”
As for an additional win a Devens? Bergeron believes he can seize a second title, barring illness or accidents.
“You never really know,” he mentioned. “I feel like I’ll be hard to beat at Devens. We do a ton of workouts there and I really know the course well.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com