NH Distance Festival Meet Hub
Event Program w/ Approximate Time Schedule
Once again, thanks to Coach Jeff Wilson and the Souhegan Track and Field community, last year’s brand new event returns this Friday and has already doubled in size. The 2nd Annual NH Distance Festival, which is comprised of only 1 mile and 5000 meter races, begins at 5pm May 1st at Souhegan High School. Patterned after our friends in CT from Xavier (Coach Wilson is an alum!) and Hall High Schools, the Connecticut Distance Festival has grown in popularity every year because it includes all levels of distance runners. The miles progress faster and faster each heat to the crescendo heater heats! These are followed by 5ks under the lights for the pure distance runners. And now thanks to Souhegan, we have this same opportunity in NH!
New this year is every heat winner will be awarded with a tee shirt in addition to the top 3 overall. This way we celebrate all levels of the event. Also! The overall winner of each mile – Girls Champ and Boys Champ – received an auto entry into the BSR Elite Meet 2 weeks from now!
And of course, NHTF will be there to livestream, snap pics, interview! Marathon Sports and New Balance will have a merch tent so expect a true Festival like atmosphere!
NH Distance Festival
Miles
This year the meet has ballooned to 16 mile heats – 6 girls and 10 boys – about 2 hours of mile racing! The girls’ top seed this year is Bedford’s Mikita Barry seeded at 4:52.38. She has quite literally been a state champ in multiple events from 300 meters indoors in 2023 to the 1000 meters indoors in 2026. Most recently she added the 2026 New England 1k title which she won in 2:50.56. She should be considered the slight favorite Friday, but there are 2 others who certainly will make this an exciting, very competitive race.
PEA’s Ava Bullock is the 2nd seed. She is one of the best in PEA’s Interscholastic League and has experienced all levels of track and field especially on the nationals stage. She seems to be more inclined in the long distances, but watching her race, she should not be counted out in at this distance either. She is also registered for the 5000, so we will see which one she chooses.
2025 New England XC Champ and Brooks XC Championship Nationals Qualifier, Hopkinton’s Maddy Lane is the 3rd seed at 4:58.07. She most recently posted a blazingly fast 3000 meters down at Penn Relays last weekend of 9:33. Lane has certainly been knocking on the door of a breakthrough in the mile and Friday is setting up to be a great opportunity to do so!
Oyster River’s Olivia Kavanagh has not been afraid of taking risks and getting out with the best. Don’t be surprised if she tests her mettle against the aforementioned top three. Also not afraid to mix it up, Hanover’s Aria Deeb will be a factor OR’s Maddy Cook. Like Bullock and Lane, Deeb seems to be more adept in the longer distances, but dropping down to hopefully set a personal record in the mile is a great call. Cook has been working on the shorter distances over this young season as well as indoors. Look for her to mix it up here as well based off those experiences.
We are in for a treat on the boys’ side courtesy of Pinkerton Academy. The mile is a great distance in that certain friendly arguments can be settled. One of those is which type of athlete is better suited for the mile – a true middle distance runner or a true long distance runner? With Joesph Gustavson, the true middle distance runner courtesy of a 1:52 PR in the 800, the top seed and his teammate, Jason Robie, who is the current NH D1 Indoor Champ in the 3k setting the D1 record this past indoor season, we have just such the occasion! And while Robie was winning his title in the 3k in 8:34, Gustavson claimed his in the 600 where he ran 1:21.31.
The teammates will have to keep things honest as PEA’s Marcus Kiehl and Truman Yee are the 3rd and 4th seeds. They are coming off a 1-2 effort in the 800 at Black Bear last week when Yee bested Kiehl 1:57 to 1:59. Then it is a who’s who of NH distance runners with Salem’s Lucas Gomez seeded 4th at 4:27 and Pinkerton’s Sean Hayes 5th at 4:28.
An interesting name to watch includes Milford’s Grant Skorupan. He is coming off a breakthrough indoor season which saw him battle hard to the runner up position at the indoor state championships. Also don’t sleep on several names including Pinkerton’s Trainor Mailloux, Hanover’s Isaac McNaughton (tough kick) and his young freshman teammate Dylan Faris.
5000 Meters!
Around 60 of NH distance runners have registered to take on this unique distance in high school track and field. With most being veterans of high school cross country, we are sure they are attempting the answer the question of how they will fare at the same distance devoid of trails, hills and mud.
Co-Top seeds on the girls side include D2 XC Champ, Hanover’s Megan Faris as well as the aforementioned Bullock. Bullock is the top returner from last year when she placed 2nd in 18:20. Expect her to be another year stronger and faster. While Faris’s and Hanover’s debut at the NH Distance Festival, the 5k may be Faris’s best distance. She was tough as nails in xc winning the D2 title as well as placing 3rd behind Paterna and Lane at the MOCs. Expect her to be ready to roll for 3.1 Friday. Her teammate, Grace Stewart will certainly battle Bullock’s teammate Alice Rourke for the 3rd position, but don’t count out the rapidly improving Maisie Emerson of Hopkinton. She is also a returner from where she placed 6th. Look for her to improve upon that finish and dip into the 18s.
The boys race is deep and may be the race of the festival headlined by Nike XC National qualifier PEA’s Bocelli Howland-Vlahakis. He is seeded at 14:50, and when considering he posted a time of 15:22 at the hilly Bowdoin Park XC course last fall, this certainly is in the realm of possibility. Monadnock’s Peyton Joslyn, this year’s D3 State XC Champ, opted out of the mile and into the 5000 meters upon seeing the entry list. He did post a time in the 14:40s this past XC season, so expect the Adams State commit to take his shot.
This particular race is taking on the feel of a true cross country competition. PEA’s Owen Welch and Will Miller are seeded 3rd and 4th respectively. Then we have OR’s Oliver Lehman, who is off to a great start this outdoor season, as well as D2 XC Champ Hanover’s Ben Groves getting his track legs back! Throw in names like CBNA’s Patrick Youngs and Pinkerton’s Oscar D’Amelio and you understand the XC feel. For most, the last time all these entrants contested this distance was way back in November. This sets a stage of intrigue for all track and XC enthusiasts out there!
Finally, although we will have a livestream, try to make your way out to Amherst Friday because the atmosphere is hard to beat! Good luck to all!!!
