Tyler Sheedy, what a gem. At this point I’m not sure if he owes me or I owe him. Not long ago he mentioned to me that sometime back in his early days I called him the “Thumbs Up Guy”. To be fair, I don’t remember that, but it certainly sounds like something I would say. What I do remember, however needing to be reminded of it, is I may have made him famous at one of the Manchester Invitationals I was commentating.
While I remember the day and the events that transpired clearly, I didn’t realize my response to those events until sometime down the road, tipped off by people commenting on that race. During that race Tyler ripped it hard, looking to make a statement as an ascending top level NH runner, he had arrived. I’m not saying he was trying to show anything to anyone but himself, and he had run himself into the ground. Being on the finish line camera, I hadn’t seen where he was in the field, and being just out of range I couldn’t identify in the crowd. But about 70 meters before the finish there was a low buzz growing, and then from just out of the view of the camera, Tyler was crawling towards the finish.
I just went on record last week about how impressed I was to see Elijah Bodanza take the MOCs race by the throat at 1000 meters to go, lead all the way until about 70 meters to go, only to run the gas tank dry in an effort to steal the day. Back at that Manchester Invite, I remember seeing an athlete off to the left, focused and crawling hard towards the finish, always impressed when an athlete is working to overcome every “check engine light” going off in their brain.
What I didn’t realize is when I recognized the athlete in question, I blurted out “sh*t, it’s Sheedy!” Over the span of the next half a year or so, I had people coming up to me, people who know, and say to me those three words. It was only once I went back to the video and I realized it was me who had uttered those words.
So I was so happy to see Tyler put forth an article about his birthday run, running 10 in his words, “Iconic High School Race Courses” and my only wish is he had chosen the Mascenic course as one of his choices.
Actually no, I have another wish. I wish I had known he was doing it. While I no longer hold onto the opinion I can run a course alongside someone with the youth and enthusiasm Tyler has, I’d have loved to be a part of it as I can see both the adventure and intrinsic self satisfaction of not only coming up with but actually executing something as preposterous but meaningful as the run he committed to doing. This semi conscious migration towards goals otherwise not thought of, rings true to me in a way other, more out in the general public, do not.
I was happy when I learned Tyler was headed to URI for running, as my nephew was already there as part of their sprint program. All of that would make my interest in following the team more enjoyable with a distance component to it. However it seems collegiate running and racing didn’t stick with Tyler, electing to walk away from cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, becoming more interested in the longer stuff and things off trail. As he alluded to, he had been hoping to run in the Whites on his birthday before being thwarted by inclement weather.
To be honest, I wish all aspiring runners would be exposed to these other facets of running beyond the three season, high school/collegiate grind which sometimes takes someone’s love for running and turns it into a mental grind. I wish I had embraced these type of adventures before I got to the point I was no longer able to get after it, having chosen to concentrate on “training,” whatever that meant as a mid-forties runner. I wish I had been willing to strike out on my own and create a running tale I wanted to experience.
Now I’m not looking to complain about running choices I’ve made. I hobble around today due to the fact I wasn’t previously interested in healing as much as I was in training, and I’m paying the price now. I wish I could simply choose to do a new challenge, like run ten iconic cross country courses in the measure of a day, but my body does not allow for that now. My adventures need to be a bit more constrained.
Tyler and I talked about this the day after he made his run of ten iconic courses. That I wish high school athletes knew there was as much value in the type of challenges Tyler was investing in, and while there might be more glory in cross country and track and field, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is more fulfillment. Now I’m not trying to talk people out of doing cross country and track and field; however, I think it’s important runners know it’s OK to choose something different than the conceived norm. If you want to go run in the mountains, that’s OK and has value. You want to lean in on ultras? OK too! You want to simply get out there and explore? Perfect!
Some people might think with Tyler no longer running for URI, he’s missed out on an opportunity. In some ways, they would be correct. However, opening the options for other opportunities seems to be hitting pay dirt for him, and why would anyone think the experience he is giving himself now is any less valuable than a 4 year college racing experience? I for one will tip my hat to him once again, much like I did when he willed his body across the line at Derryfield.
I’ll see you out there.
Tyler has been helping on the broadcast since before he finished up high school. In the interim he has become an invaluable member of our broadcast team. From his calls from the “crows nest” in indoor, to his thoughtful takes during outdoor and cross country, Tyler not only knows the sport inside and out, is great at helping viewers understand the performance playing out. I really enjoy having him on the mic and reveling in how much he adds to what we do.
