On May 2, Marblehead High boys track star Nate Assa trekked up to Amherst, New Hampshire, to compete against some of the best milers in the country in an invitational-only race. Assa was selected following his breakout indoor season, where he was a state and regional champion in the two-mile.
The field was absolutely stacked with multiple sub-4:10 All-American milers. It also included the 2024 Foot Locker Cross-Country National Champion and two pacers, which is something track fans can only see in truly elite races.
Assa’s MHS teammate Jacob Szalewicz was also invited to run in New Hampshire in the 800, but was not able to compete because of an injury earlier this spring.
Assa (4:15.21) ended up running a significant five-second personal best to finish ninth in the mile at the invitational meet, which puts him just two seconds shy of A.J. Ernst’s school record in the mile.
“There really weren’t any expectations coming into this race, and Nate’s only goal was to keep on pushing,” said coach Nolan Raimo. “Unlike Nate’s signature longer events — the two-mile and 5k — the mile doesn’t leave a lot of time for adjusting or making up ground, especially in a field that’s loaded and so it was important for him to get some experience in this type of race.
“Nate, who will be attending Purdue in the fall, ran pretty consistent splits in each lap — around 63 seconds — and he did a good job during the race managing his space in a very clustered pack,” added Raimo. “He’s been running 60 miles per week. But as he said afterwards, aerobically he did not feel super challenged during the (invitational) race, but his legs limited his speed output, which is exactly what was expected. In the later stages of this season, when he begins to taper his workouts down to get some freshness back into his legs, he will set his sights on the school record and a potential push to get under the 4:10 mark.”
