12th Place at Cross Country Nationals

Running in cold, rainy conditions, Robbo placed 12th with a time of 14:30.30 in the sub-youth 4K race at the Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World. Below is a picture of the start:

And then Robbo and Austin when the weather was much better!

Congratulations, Robbo, on a great cross country season!!

USATF New England's

Robbo ran a 15:01 in what turned out to be a tough, muddy, hilly, New Hampshire course. Placing 6th in the Youth (13-14 year-old) Division, Robbo led his team - which was made up entirely of 8th graders - to a second-place finish!

Below, Robbo's little brother Austin and his buddy wrestle while waiting for the race to begin:




The start. Nitehawks are in red w/black shorts:



Robbo at the 3.5K mark. He picked off 3 guys between here and the finish line!




Next up? AAU Nationals on December 5th! In the meantime... travel basketball season is underway. :-)

AAU New England X-C Champion!

Robbo competed in the New England District cross country championships last weekend, setting a new course record in the Youth division 4K race of 13:52. He and his club team, the Nitehawks, advanced to the National Cross Country Championships in December at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Mickey Mouse, here we come!

Middle School X-C Career Completed

Robbo finished out his 8th grade middle school X-C season undefeated. Yes, you read that correctly... UNDEFEATED!! He set new course records on every course this season, except one (and there's a story about that one)!




He leaves Stony Brook Middle School cross country with an existing course record of 11:46, and a lot of great memories and fun times with friends on the course.

Wayland XC Festival

This year, rather than competing in the 3K for his 11-14 age group, Robbo chose to run in the open 5K race to better prepare for the 4K race in the upcoming JO competition.

He ran very well with a time of 18:47, finishing 32nd among some very tough and elite x-country runners. He placed 4th within the 19-and-under age group.

Race for the Cure - Boston

Wearing her pink hat and running in memory of Lynne, Robbo ran in his first Race for the Cure last weekend. Out of a field of thousands of runners and walkers, he came in an amazing 22nd place!! His time for the 5K was a personal best of 18:52. Here is a video of parts of the race:

New Course Record

This afternoon was the first meet of the season for the Stony Brook Middle School cross country team. They came up short against Carlisle Middle School, finishing 1-3 but the Carlisle team filled the rest of the top eight places.

Rob showed great improvement over his last year's time, running a 12:03 -- cutting well over a minute off of his time and blasting away the old course record of 12:38!

The kid loves to run...

Little Bit 'O Press

The Lowell Sun ran a brief article about Rob yesterday... :-)

The Hardware!

Yeah, go ahead and smile... you earned it!

Medalist in 3K!!

Robbo made it to the medal stand with a 7th place finish in this morning's 3K race! Fighting through a cramp that hit about a mile into the race, he gutted it out to a 10:21.17 finish. So not only is he a fast runner, he's also a tough one, too.

Congratulations, Robbo! A great finish to a fantastic outdoor track season!!

10th Nationally in 1500M!

Robbo ran a great race this morning, finishing a strong 10th place in an amazing race of elite runners! He ran a 4:40.51, eleven seconds faster than his previous best time. Below is a video of the race:




Congratulations, Robbo!! Next race is Saturday morning, 3K.

Next Up: Nationals

As the countdown to the Jr. Olympics continues there are a few links that may be of interest. The first is the performance list that has just been released. Robbo will be running the Sub-Youth 1500M and 3K. Another is the link to the AAU Junior Olympics site itself.

Additionally, Rob's two races are among those that are available for live viewing via the internet (Thursday, Aug 6, 8:15am; and Saturday, Aug 8, 8:15am). There is a fee, however; and I will be posting results and video after the race. So unless you are like our friend Kevin Lynch who is a "live-only" viewer, you may choose to save the money and wait for the movie!

Robbo has been training hard for this event and his enthusiasm is evident. I will pass along any comments and well-wishes that you choose to leave on the site, as he continues his countdown to Des Moines!

Fun in the Sun!

Robbo and Austin both participated last Saturday in the annual Needham Youth Classic Track Meet here in the Boston metro area. The under-6 crowd is for ribbons and medals, and the 7+ athletes compete for points for their team. Rob's team, the Nitehawks, garnered 6th place.

Rob used this local meet as a sprint workout, running the 400M (62.1) and a half-hour later, the 800M (2:20). He also threw himself over the high jump bar and into the long jump pit, and tried his arm out in the softball throw and turbo jav throw. It was a fun family day!

Here is a picture of Robbo and Matt (his teammate, training partner, and good friend) during the meet.

New Personal Best!

Robbo recently ran in the USATF Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Yipsilanti, Michigan. Seeded 19th in a fast field of 26, Rob ran against both 13- and 14-year-olds, as USATF has dual-age groups. He outran his seed however, placing 12th with a personal best time of 10:14.00! This was a great experience for him, and a nice way to prepare for national competition next month at J.O.'s.

1500M Video

Here is the video of Robbo's race... enjoy!

1500M Follow-up: Champion Again :-)

After yesterday's race, Robbo and his family took the train into NYC's Grand Central Station... had a few nostalgic Madagascar moments, took a taxi to Battery Park, rode the ferry to Liberty Island, got caught in a downpour waiting for a taxi back to Times Square, ate at Cafe Metro on the way back to the train, then settled in for a good night's sleep.





This morning, Robbo ran away from the competition in the 1500M. He placed 1st with a time of 4:51.39, a personal best (and also a very tough time to run virtually solo). I will post the race video when I get a chance for those of you who would like to view it.

We are very proud of Rob as he is not only running well, but is exhibiting discipline in the way that he runs his races. He seems to be enjoying the strategy as much as the running itself!

This win makes him the Area 1 3K Champion, so he will be running in both the 1500M and the 3K at the Jr Olympics in Iowa in August!!

Robbo is Area 1 3K Champ

Robbo turned in a 10:29.50, winning the Sub-Youth division of the 3K this morning! This not only makes him the AAU Area 1 Champ, but qualifies him to run in the AAU Jr. Olympics in August. Nice running, Robbo...

Area 1 National Qualifier Meet

The Area 1 AAU National Qualifier is coming up this weekend in White Plains, NY. This includes athletes from all of New England, New York City and state, and northern New Jersey. Robbo will be competing in the 3000M (3K) and the 1500M. Good luck, Robbo!

Robbo Takes 2nd at 2009 USATF-New England Junior Olympic Championships

Running in the multi-year Youth division (13-14 year-olds) of USATF, Robbo placed second in the 3000 with a personal best time of 10:21.93! This qualifies him to advance to the USATF regional competition. However, it is scheduled for the same weekend as the AAU regionals in New York which he is planning to attend.

Nice job, Robbo!

Robbo Wins District AAU

Robbo competed last weekend in the Connecticut District Qualifier Track & Field Championships at Yale University (due to the New England District Meet being cancelled at the last minute!). He advanced to the Area 1 AAU Championships in both of his races, winning the 3K with a time of 11:09, and following that up an hour later with a 5-minute 1500M run.

The Area 1 Championships will be held in White Plains, NY, June 26-28.

Robbo Sets New Stony Brook Record

Rob set a new record on Monday in the mile for his middle school!

Winning against one of his rivals, Seamus Lawler from Concord Middle School, Rob ran the mile in 5:15. It was an exciting race, as Lawler led the first three laps by about 7 or 8 meters. Then in the final lap, Rob overtook him on the backstretch and never looked back for the last 250 meters. Both teams were cheering loudly as they each expected their star to bring home the win.

After crossing the finish line, the athletes shook hands and embraced with congratulations for a race well run. They are both classy guys and will be running against one another for years to come as their respective high schools are in the same league.

Here are a couple of pics from the race, along with one of Austin just after his brother won. He is beaming with pride...

Spring Track Season is Underway

The Stony Brook Middle School track season began today with a meet at Tyngsboro. Rob ran the mile and won with a time of 5:25. He also ran the first leg of the 4x100 relay, in which Stony Brook also took 1st place. All in all, quite a successful day!

XC Junior Olympic Snapshots

Needhan Indoor Classic 1500M Champ

Robbo and his dad drove into Boston thru the snowstorm this morning to the Reggie Lewis Track Center for the annual Northeast Indoor Classic.

Rob won his age group with a time of 4:57. Way to go, Robbo!