It’s the quintessential storybook ending, and Marblehead High senior track captain Nate Assa is at the heart of it. For the second straight season, Assa was able to complete the impossible with consecutive state and New England championships in the two mile and 3.200-meters, respectively, to end the indoor and outdoor campaigns on top, while also establishing a standard that will be difficult to duplicate.
The Marblehead track whiz capped it all off on Saturday afternoon (June 14) with the New England Championship in the aforementioned 3,200 meters at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut. In doing so, the Purdue University-bound student turned in his personal best time of 9:04.57, as well.
The difference between the two mile (3,219-meters), which is an event in this state, and the 3,200-meters that is used on the regional level is microscopic. “It’s about a four-second conversion rate,” said coach Nolan Raimo. “Nate ran his best two-mile in 9:08.57.”
Believe it or not, Assa had to overcome obstacles, besides the distance of the race. He had to endure the long two-and-a-half-hour long drive to New Britain, overcast skies and a light drizzle at times to beat out his elite peers.
“The race started off with a large pack of runners grouped together,” said Raimo. “They crossed the first mile in 4:38, which was a little slower than anticipated, while the lead runners, including Nate, had to jostle for position. The pace picked up after that one-mile mark, and as a result, Nate began to take control of the race. He upped the tempo, (as most of the field) began dropping out of the group. As the lead runners approached the 1.5-mile mark, Sean Gray of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, took the lead from Nate, but after about 150-meters, Nate took the lead back, and didn’t give it up throughout the rest of the race. He ended up closing his final 800-meters in 2:03 with a .64 and .59 400 to secure the win by a little less than a second.”
Raimo added that Nate’s postseason spring races have been quite different from his outstanding indoor season, where he emerged onto the elite running scene by dropping from 9:24.99 to 9:05.30 in one race. “That time shocked the regional running community, because he was relatively unknown until the All-State Championship meet,” the coach explained.
“During the spring season, however, every competitive distance runner knew who Nate was, and they knew he is an All-American. It’s an honor to be an All-American, but it also puts a target on your back, because everyone wants to beat an All-American. He has had the attention of the field this spring, and they all thought their best chance to beat him was in the last lap sprint. They wanted to force him to control the race, but his adaptability (to change up on the fly) has impressed both (assistant) coach Will Herlihy and myself. They thought they knew his top-end speed was a weakness. It has been put to the test on the biggest of stages, but with sheer tenacity and guts he was still able to win another All-State and New England Championship.”
Raimo credits his assistant coach for Nate’s development as a runner. “It was (Herlihy’s) communication and training methods that helped him enjoy a phenomenal indoor season,” Raimo said, “but it’s so incredibly rare to see an athlete maintain and even improve in the spring season. Nate has now been racing on the track at an elite level for over five months, which is absurd. His discipline, hard work and competitiveness is top-notch, but coach Herlihy’s guidance, care and foresight has also been equally impressive.”
