Lily Fallon knew the first Saturday in November would be a doozy.
Soccer in the morning in Lexington, back home to Belmont for some recovery stretching, and a 45-minute ride to Devens for the 16th annual Massachusetts Middle School Cross-Country Invitational.
“It was a lot,” said Fallon, a 13-year-old eighth grader at Belmont Middle School.
But not enough to slow her down. She blitzed the 1.86-mile loop at Willard Field in 11:09, 13 seconds ahead of the next closest finisher in her Division I bracket. Belmont placed third overall. Other top-25 finishers for Belmont were all seventh-graders: June Littrell (16th), Mary Siegert (18th), Ivy Solander (21st), who plays club soccer with Fallon, and Corinne Cornett (25th).
“The team’s camaraderie was remarkable, with eighth graders mentoring seventh graders and seventh graders pushing their older teammates to stay sharp,” said Brenton Lussier, the team’s coach and an eighth-grade math teacher. “On many days at practice, athletes were asking, ‘That’s it? Can I do more?’ — a clear sign of their drive and commitment.”
“A lot” summarizes Fallon’s athletic exploits correctly. In addition to running, she skis and plays ice hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. Fallon plays for the school teams and at the club level. Fallon also trains with Emerging Elites, the same program that produced Belmont natives and standout runners Ellie Shea, a sophomore at NC State, and Dana Lehr, a freshman at Columbia.
So, is running her sport? What will she choose to compete in for Belmont High School? It sounds like soccer is a sure bet, but the rest is up in the air.
“It’s kind of unclear to me,” Fallon said. “I started off [running] as good conditioning for soccer, and then I just kind of did it because it’s really fun. It’s a really good way to socialize.”
Lussier said Fallon is also an outstanding student. After crossing the finish line at the state championships, she immediately turned her attention to cheering on her teammates.
“Lily shows tremendous promise as a runner, and I have no doubt she’ll continue to train hard and chase her potential,” Lussier said. “The question remains whether she chooses to continue with cross country next fall at BHS or follow her other passion, soccer. Either way, Lily’s teammates and coaches are fortunate to have the opportunity to train and compete alongside her.”
Many of Fallon’s close friends ran last year. Not all of them did this fall, but she enjoyed building new connections.
“My other teammates are super, super supportive,” she said. “It’s a really fun environment to be in.”
After playing soccer in the morning with the Boston Bolts, Fallon went home to Belmont for a 30-minute stretch. Recharged as best as she could, Fallon felt some nerves about the race. Despite winning the half-dozen or so regular-season meets, she remained unsure how she might rank against statewide competition.
Her initial goal: top 20. Start fast, she thought, but not so much that she’d tire too quickly. The narrow course made positioning an even bigger emphasis, sticking towards the inside left for the winding turns and hilly terrain.
Crossing the finish line with no true challenge in sight caught her by surprise. A sweet ending to a long day.
“I was ‘like, thank gosh it’s done’ because I was really tired,” she said. “It was really cool because I had my team and family members with me.”
