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FALMOUTH, MA (August 10, 2015)—Twenty high school athletes from throughout Massachusetts will compete in the Tommy Cochary High School Mile on Saturday, August 15, in conjunction with the New Balance Falmouth Road Race the next day, race organizers have announced.
Starting at 5 PM at the James Kalperis Track at Falmouth High School, the evening will also feature the SBLI Falmouth Family Fun Run and the Falmouth Youth Mile. Activities get under way at 4:30 PM with a warm-up and stretching clinic geared toward teaching children the fundamentals, conducted by In Motion Training of Mashpee. All events are free to both spectators and participants.
The high school mile was renamed three years ago in honor of Tommy Cochary, a young Falmouth runner who was killed in a drunk-driving accident in 1990. The Falmouth Road Race was a huge part of the family’s life, and athletes are chosen to compete not only because they are among the best prep 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.
Winners of both the boys’ and girls’ miles will have a grant of $2,500 awarded to their school in their name to be used in a way that implements change in athletics or wellness, such as new equipment, team uniforms, or after-school wellness activities.
Competing in the boys’ Tommy Cochary High School Mile will be Viraj Deokar of Acton (Middlesex School); Aidan Gilson of Florence (Northampton HS); Grant Haver of Holden (Wachusett Regional HS); David Lockhart of Stoughton (Stoughton HS); Zachary Manickas-Hill of Lexington (Lexington HS); Adam Petti of Raynham (West Bridgewater Middle/Senior HS); Daniel Romano of Mansfield (Mansfield HS); Matthew Salit of Seekonk (Seekonk HS); Christopher Skelly of Pepperell (North Middlesex Regional HS); and Benjamin Weingart of Newton (Newton South HS).
The girls’ Tommy Cochary High School Mile will feature Sarah Edwards of Dudley (Bellingham HS); Coralea Geraniotis of Orleans (Nauset Regional HS); Kacie Higgins of Weymouth (Weymouth HS); Kelly Higgins of Weymouth (Weymouth HS); Michaela Jones of North Andover (Phillips Academy); Shannon McAndrew of Chicopee (Chicopee HS); Amy Piccolo of Walpole (Ursuline Academy); Julie Romano of Mansfield (Mansfield HS); Callie Schadt of Brewster (Nauset Regional HS); and Catherine Song of Canton (Canton HS).
Leading the way for the boys is Deokar, with a 4:15.40 personal best earned at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Junior Boys’ Mile, while Geraniotis and Jones share personal bests of 5:03, set at the Mass. Girls State Coaches Invitational and The Hinckley Allen Mile, respectively. Deokar also finished fourth at 5000 meters (14:41.37) in the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. On the girls’ side, Geraniotis is a six-time state champion, including Division 4 individual titles at 2 Miles indoors in 2015 (11:01), the Mile indoors in 2014 (5:18), and Cross Country in 2014.
All of the Tommy Cochary milers are involved in extra-curricular activities and public-service projects outside of athletics, including tutoring, church leadership, music, and volunteer work. Among them are Seekonk’s Matthew Salit, who helped found and organize the Massachusetts Teen Driving Summit, a peer-to-peer program that educates students about the dangers of distracted driving, after a track friend died in a crash in which a driver was texting; and Weymouth sisters Kacie and Kelly Higgins, who received a New Balance Local Heroes award organizing a bracelet-making project that raised almost $1,000 for the One Fund after the Boston Marathon bombings.
For more information on the Tommy Cochary High School Mile, the SBLI Falmouth Family Fun Run or the 43rd running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race, please visit our website at www.falmouthroadrace.com; our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/falmouthroadrace; our Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/falmouthrr, and our Instagram at www.instagram.com/falmouthroadrace.
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About Falmouth Road Race
The New Balance 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.
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