Revere Running Club sends 29 kids to nationals

by Laura Bednar

The Revere Running Club closed its sixth season with a record number of runners advancing to the national competition in November.

Revere parents Chris and Tammy Parsons took over as head coaches for the club last year, replacing club founders Zach and Marie Meixner. The club is open to youths ages 6-18 of all skill levels looking to train in track and cross-country running.

The season begins in June with up to 150 participants. Training takes place four days a week. Three days are open to all abilities and age groups, and the final day is geared toward advanced runners with a longer run in areas like the Towpath Trail.

Chris said when middle school and high school running events start in August, the club drops to 60 or fewer runners in the 6-12 age group who compete in a fall youth running league.

“The Revere Running Club is not affiliated with the school,” said Chris. “There are other club teams in the area, mostly from Summit County.”

This year, the club competed in seven invitational meets with teams winning 14 of 19 events, finishing second four times and third once.

At the end of the season, runners who qualified at a regional were invited to the Cross Country Coaches Youth National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.

“Every year we have more kids at nationals,” said Chris. This year, 32 runners qualified and 29 opted to travel to the national competition, the largest number in club history.

The competition is divided into age groups, and the club’s 6-8 year-old boys team placed seventh out of 14 teams; the 9-10 year-old boys team placed eighth out of 19 teams, and the 11-12 year-old girls team placed 21st out of 27 teams.

Six runners won awards as top 25 finishers in individual events. First-grader Afia Nuamah earned the title of champion by placing first overall among 6-year-olds in the 2K race.

Brendan Bassett finished 18th in the 7-year-old boys category; Pasha Martynyuk was eighth among 8-year-old boys; Petya Martynyuk was 15th in the 8-year-old boys event; Joseph Martynyuk finished seventh among the 9-year-old boys, and Benjamin Bassett finished 17th in the 9-year-old boys category.

The national competition hosted nearly 1,800 runners. Chris said last year the club had 18 runners at nationals with four placing in the top 25. “This year was much better,” said Chris.

Tammy echoed the idea of growth, noting that the season starts slow but by the end, the kids have improved and are completing timed runs. The athletes train with runs in the Metroparks, sprinting at the high school track and strength training exercises, like push-ups.

“Kids love to run,” said Tammy. “We keep the program fun and help them develop into good runners.”

Though runners are not required to attend Revere schools to join the club, Chris said he scouts prospective runners for the Revere middle and high school track and cross-country coaches. “It helps build the running program at Revere,” he said.

Athletes in other sports have run with the club in early summer as conditioning before their own seasons start.

“We want to continue to grow the program and make sure people know this is an available activity for youth,” said Chris. ∞

Photo: Children in the fall youth running league hold their awards after competing in a race in Copley this past September. Photo submitted.