For years, cross country in the inner city has been either obsolete or struggling to hold on. There had been elite runners — Ruben Sanca, Said Ahmed, Ahmed Ali and Abidrizak Mohamed — but at the state level, such harriers were practically nonexistent.
During the indoor and outdoor track seasons three years ago, South Boston assistant coach Hatim Jean-Louis found himself “cringing on the sidelines” as he carefully watched talented, but vastly undertrained, males failing to break the 13-minute mark in the 2-mile. Frustrated, but with a thorough knowledge of Boston’s running past, Jean-Louis was confident the inner city had talent in the distance events even if it wasn’t showing up in the results.
The coach knew it was time to act, but what Jean-Louis didn’t know was that his next move would change the landscape of distance running within the city limits and get athletes excited about their potential.
“The perception had to change because there has always been talent in Boston,” said Jean-Louis. “These student-athletes deserve all the accolades because they have changed the narrative and perception in four years, and I believe this is only the beginning.”