This post was written by Coach Chris Knighton.

2020 – Knighton Run Coaching’s Best Year Yet!

In a year that saw very few races, our running found a new purpose and a deeper meaning in 2020. I am so proud of the Knighton Runs athletes for making the best of a challenging year. All of our athletes developed greatly this year and achieved outstanding results!

Team Highlights of 2020

Athletes Coached: 22
Total Miles Run: 24,000+
Personal Records Set: 20+

Our Athletes set PR’s at every distance in 2020!

• 800m
• 1-Mile
• 2-Mile
• 5K / 5000m
• 10K / 10000m
• 10-Mile
• Half Marathon
• Full Marathon

The Full Knighton Runs 2020 Story

We kicked off the year with two months of fast races.

In February, Jason Y, Kat. O, Coach Chris and Coach Erica ran the MV20 Relay and all set a big 10-Miler PR on Martha’s Vineyard.

Later in March, we saw Jason Y, Heather K, Katie M, and Coach Erica run impressive times at the Super Sunday 5 Miler and 5K in Cambridge, MA.

Then, COVID happened.

One by one, nearly every race got canceled and so did almost everything else. All of our Spring Marathons and Half Marathons were to be no more. We turned to yoga, led by our Lion teammate Kat O, and tried our hardest to do a good chair pose as we contemplated, “what’s next?” 

We readjusted our goals.

The Lions adapted and kept running.

Many of us turned to shorter distances and saw big success. Lella B was a PR machine at the 5K distance and got faster 3 weeks in a row! John G, coming off a bike injury that left him with a broken collarbone, ran a blistering fast 5000m followed by an even faster 800m and mile. M.E. set her sights on the 10K and didn’t let her Medical School rotations keep her from blasting out a fast one this past Fall.  Matt G focused on the 10-miler and came away with a huge new PR.

With a need for speed and to restore some sense of running community, we introduced Speed Sessions at the Harvard University Track. Our Tuesday night workouts were the best part of my week for several months this Fall, and I can’t wait to get the team back together again in person when the time is right.

With few races on the calendar, some Knighton Lions chose to focus on building consistency and running longer distances. Meg J ran her longest long run while building up her weekly mileage to amounts she hadn’t seen since high school. Kat O routinely ran 70+ mile weeks, her highest ever. Natalie S continued to log consistently high mileage while patiently waiting for her next marathon opportunity.

No world major marathons were run by the public this year. In fact, only one Knighton Runs athlete ran an official sanctioned marathon race this year. Shoutout to Lauren U for sneaking one in on January 5.

With many marathons going virtual, Jason S and Jason Y made the best of it and ran the first-ever virtual edition of the Boston Marathon. Liz S didn’t let an injury keep her from completing Boston this year too. She battled her way to the finish line walking most of the way! While I didn’t officially run the virtual race, I had the pleasure of visually-guiding Jason S for the first half of the race and my good friend Kyle R for the second half.

After her international half-marathon was canceled, Liz R. transitioned to cycling, completing her longest rides ever throughout MA and RI. She also turned her focus to community building and empowerment with the creation of TrailblazHers Run Co. (<– check them out!)

Others, like Andrew R, opted not to race this year after their event was canceled, but instead just ran for the joy of it and practiced the good athletic habits that arise from working with a coach. Leah C and Michael L took their running abroad, logging miles in Kenya and Italy respectively. These international runs made Coach very jealous. 

Helping athletes grow is my favorite part of coaching!

In addition to our personal coaching and group workouts this year, we were excited to host the First Annual Catz II Lions Mile! This virtual race brought out over 50 semi-professional amateur runners to compete for 1-Mile glory. We saw men and as young as 4 years old complete this iconic distance, all while raising money for The Odd Cat Sanctuary and The Mass Bail Fund.

As for me. I ran the most I ever did and was in the best shape of my life in March while I prepared for the Boston Marathon. After Boston was canceled, I took some time off but then refocused on running for the joy of it and competed in many virtual races put on by Trials of Miles Racing. I was able to earn a new 5K and 10K personal best during COVID this year thanks to them! I also enjoyed seeing my wife, Coach Erica run her most consistent, healthiest, highest mileage year ever which led her to achieve big PRs in the 800m, 1-Mile, 5K, 5000m, and 5-Mile.

Now, we say goodbye to 2020 and look forward to a year of renewed hope and racing in 2021.

Many thanks to you, the Lions, and our running community at large, for making this year so special. We couldn’t do this without you!

Happy New Year!
-Coach Chris