Greg Levinsky
Dana Lehr entered high school as a soccer-first student-athlete, but the 17-year-old high-honors student eyes a collegiate future in running.
Outside of the Belmont High School soccer and track teams, Lehr has trained with the Emerging Elites running club alongside Belmont senior and nationally recognized runner Ellie Shea since 2022. In that time, she’s lowered her mile time by more than 25 seconds.
The MIAA Division 2 champion in the mile (5:00.98) and 800-meter (2:15.56) last spring, Lehr competed at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor and set a person-best mark in the 2-mile (10:41.59) last summer. She also competed in the 800-meter at La Classique d’athlétisme de Montréal, finishing fourth in the open women’s division.
Over the winter high school track season, Lehr finished runner-up in the MIAA Meet of Champions Indoor Mile. She recently won the Bay State Running Elite Scholastic Mile at Regis College, topping a field of runners from all over New England with a personal-best time by two seconds (4:54.64).
Lehr caught up with The Belmont Voice for a Q&A.
You started high school as a soccer-first athlete. How did you get into track and field?
In seventh and eighth grade, I was in a local run club, Waltham Track Club. I played club soccer year-round, and that was my thing and I ran on the side. I made good friends through that. In high school, I played soccer in the fall and then did indoor track with the high school. My friend Ellie Shea, who did Waltham Track, started with Emerging Elites in eighth grade. She was like, “Oh, you should come train with us.” And I was like, “Yeah, sure!” That’s really how I got into it, and then it got more serious.
At what point did you realize you wanted to take competitive running outside of your school programs?
Once I put a lot more time into it and started training hard, I saw results really fast. I was having so much fun and have such great friends through running, so that’s what I fell in love with.
Do you have a race day routine?
Not particularly. I just like to pretend that it’s a normal day because most of my races are in the afternoon and evening. I might leave school a bit early, but other than that, I get to my race with plenty of time before and always do the same thing once I get there.
How do you fuel up for a big race?
I eat like a normal day. I just make sure I’m eating enough throughout the day. I think sometimes with school, it can get hard, just with the times we have lunches. So I make sure to pack lots of snacks, especially if the meet is a high school race and we’re going straight to it right after school. I always bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bananas.
Do you like to run with music or podcasts? What do you listen to?
I listen to music. I can’t run without something. If I’m with other people, I don’t need it, but if I’m by myself, I need music. I think it changes with the seasons. Right now, I really like happy things because it’s spring.
What’s the key to improving your mile time?
I think it’s just learning how to do it and also setting goals. Last year, I ran five minutes flat, and the next weekend, I was like, “No matter what happens, I will break five minutes.” I think I really wanted it. When I really want it, I’m able to do things with consistent training.
Do you ever think about trying a new sport?
No, not really. This winter I did some tennis at the Belmont Hill Club, but other than that, no. I just don’t really have time.
Do you have any favorite professional runners or races to watch?
I don’t really follow much of the professional running scene, but I think college running is really fun to watch. It’s just really impressive how fast everyone is running right now.
What are you looking for in a college track program?
I’m looking for a school that’s going to push me athletically and academically.
Do you have any aspirations to run the Boston Marathon someday?
Yeah, I guess the thought comes around every year because people always ask me if I’m running it. Yeah, I think it would be something fun to do, but that’s also very far in the future.
