John Stark graduate and NHTI Track and Field runner Eli Lemire won a triple crown by placing first in the 1500 meter, 5k and 10k races at the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships last weekend in Springfield, Mass.

The freshman also won the USCAA Cross Country 8k National Championship in the fall with a time of 27:23.50, and has already cemented himself as one of the most talented runners in the school’s history.

At John Stark, Lemire was a standout runner, but in the past year, he has reached new heights of competition. His record in the 1500m in high school was 4:28.20s, and at the USCAA champs, he ran it in 4:11.02.

“I knew I had a decent chance in both the 5k and the 10k, but the 1500 looked more competitive, and having to do all three, I was less certain about it,” Lemire said.

When asked about his high school personal record, he responded humbly, even doubting that his high school time was that low. But that’s part of how he’s found success. His championship-winning times were not his personal bests, but as he grows and continues to train there’s no telling how fast he could go. 

Coach Graham Hayslip said Lemire really thrives on competition, but not in a mean-spirited way; rather, he needs other competitors around him to push him and find enjoyment in the run.

“He’s one of those runners who’s hitting his peak, blooming at the top of the game for all of his preferred distances right as he’s becoming a freshman in college,” Hayslip said. “It was just really, really cool because no one really knows where his ceiling is right now.”

Lemire said another racer caught up to him a few miles into the 5k and there was a hint of adrenaline in his voice as he recalled the moment. “I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen. We got a race going on. That made it more exciting.”

Even with all the accolades, the multiple Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) runner of the week honors, YSCC Runner of the Year and All-American awards, it does not get to his head. His friendly and quiet demeanor does not give away that he’s an elite runner. 

He even said that his teammates celebrated his victories more excitedly than he did. Hayslip confirmed that as soon as the meet was over, Lemire was already focused on getting back to study for his finals, especially a big project that was due during the week. That’s the life of a student-athlete winning on and off the field.

“He really, really, really loves running,” his coach said. “He gets on the starting line and he wants there to be someone 10 seconds faster than in current PR who will really give him a run, and he wants to go after the most challenging people every day.”

For now, Lemire will continue working toward a civil engineering degree to become a land surveyor, expanding into longer distances and getting his cross-country 8k time below 26 minutes in the fall to continue winning. 

He comes from a family of runners and has been in running circles his whole life, so he’s not stopping anytime soon, but he’s not sure what his future in the sport holds.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com.