Six men run sub-four minutes in the Elite Mile; Women’s Elite Mile is won by .02 seconds. The Tommy Cochary High School Mile crowned winners from Brookline and Wellesley
Falmouth, MA (August 14, 2021) – In the 25th running of the Falmouth Elite Mile, six men went sub-four minutes at the newly resurfaced James Kalperis Track in hot and sunny conditions. Canadian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Craig Engels followed closely behind pacemaker Drew Piazza in the opening lap as Johnny Gregorek, Brett Meyer, Mason Ferlic, Craig Nowak, Bryce Richards, Daniel Herrera and Jeremy Hernandez quickly fell in step.
With $25,000 in prize awards and additional sub-3:56 incentives on the line, Philibert-Thiboutot led throughout running laps of 57, 58, 59 and 57 to close in a personal-best 3:52.97, followed closely by Engels in 3:53.97 and Gregorek in 3:54.18, rounding out the top three.
The women’s race was strategic as the pack of seven held tightly together until the final lap. Taryn Rawlings and Amy-Eloise Markovc led through the half mile with Katie Wasserman, Alli Cash, Helen Schlachtenhaufen, Katrina Coogan and Anna Shields on their heels.
Schlachtenhaufen took the lead with 600m to quicken the pace and string out the pack. In the closing meters, Markovc pulled even with Schlachtenhaufen and edged her at the line 4:41.03 to 4:41.05. Rawlings closed third in 4:41.69.
After a pre-race pep talk from 2020 Tokyo Olympic Marathon bronze medalists Molly Seidel, the 10th running of the Tommy Cochary High School mile showcased some of the best milers in Massachusetts.
Rory Clare of Wellesley won the girls race in 5:08.29 and Myles Liss-Riordan of Brookline won the boys race in 4:23.49. “I was so happy to be here and had a great race,” Myles Liss-Riordan said, “This is the biggest crowd I’ve run in front of in a while.”
Clare led most of the race on the girls side, taking the field out in 2:30 through 800m. The strong early pace was too much for the rest of the field and Clare was able to hold off Mia Costa of Walpole for the victory. Costa came on strong in the last lap but finished second in a time of 5:09.87. Ali Gilooly of Stow secured third place in 5:11.52.
The boys race was won by similar frontrunning with with Brookline’s Myles Liss-Riordan taking the group out in 2:12 through 800m. Liss-Riordan was able to gap Northbridge’s freshman phenom, Marcus Reilly who finished a close second in 4:24.53. Caleb Straayer of Acton outkicked Falmouth’s own Henry Gartner for the last spot on the podium. Straayer placed third in 4:29.39.
The high school mile, which began in 2010 and is held as part of the Falmouth Track Festival the evening before the ASICS Falmouth Road Race, was renamed 10 years ago in honor of Tommy Cochary, a young Falmouth runner who was killed in a drunk-driving accident in 1990. The road race is a huge part of the family’s life, and athletes in the mile are chosen to compete not only because they are among the best high school milers in Massachusetts, but also because they embody Tommy’s spirit of an active life and fun-loving attitude and because they have shown evidence of making smart choices in their lives.
Official Results of the Tommy Cochary High School Mile are here.
Official Results of the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile are here.
For more information visit www.falmouthroadrace.com. Follow us on Facebook or at @falmouthroadrace on Instagram.
About Falmouth Road Race, Inc. The Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite and recreational runners out to enjoy the iconic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is committed to promoting health and fitness through community programs and philanthropic giving.