Westhill CT Senior Made The Most Of A Short Season, Trimming 1,600 PR From 4:39 To 4:08

Story and Photos By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Colin McLaughlin has always had a keen interest in statistics. Growing up, he obsessed over football and all of its different data and the numbers. His parents say that’s a big reason why he developed such a love for the sport of running. 

“In addition to the actual sport of it (running), there’s all these different stats you can look at, ‘This professional was this good when he was my age, and then he improved by X amount,’” McLaughlin said. “It kind of just interests me, the statistics side of things.” 

So it’s fitting that McLaughlin made the biggest and most impactful improvement this past spring on the track, in his final prep season at Westhill High in Connecticut. In less than two months, the relatively unknown distance runner from Stamford, went from a 4:39.1 season-opening 1,600 meters to shiny new PR of 4:08.44, good for No. 25 in the nation. 

“It’s nice to see that instead of being pretty good by my school standards, I was pretty good by the state and national standards,” McLaughlin said. 

His time qualified him for The Outdoor Nationals presented by Nike in Eugene, Ore., where he finished 15th, running 4:14.46. 

So why the huge statistical jump? McLaughlin, who will run for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. this fall and study Business Administration with a concentration in Analytics, doesn’t have a definitive answer for that. 

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “Things just clicked.”  

McLaughlin said a shift to a lower mileage plan this past season, and having the opportunity to compete against high quality runners were major factors in his improvement. 

McLaughlin began running in the sixth grade as a way to hang out with his friends. It was something his dad did, but he didn't develop a passion for the sport until high school. A soccer player first, McLaughlin decided to focus on track after he started to get within reach of the freshman school record in the mile, and realized he could be pretty good. Also,he found, running was a sport in which his love of statistics came into play. 

“I like the individual side of things. You don't rely on any of your teammates,” he said. “In soccer, you could have a perfect game and still lose 5-0, but in running, you're there for yourself. If you have a bad day, it only affects you, and if you have a good day, then it only affects you, I like that part. And it’s easy to track progress, you know if you're improving, you know if you're plateauing.” 

As a sophomore, McLaughlin ran 9:39.84 for 3,200 and 4:38.1 in the 1,600. His abbreviated junior season due to the pandemic was highlighted by an 18th place finish at the New Balance Games in the Invitational mile, running 4:30.78. 

In the vacant spring and summer of 2020, McLaughlin stuck to a higher mileage plan, putting down 60-65 miles a week and incorporating hard workouts. He said that plan got him into pretty good shape for the impending cross country, but he could feel the burnout. He won the Fairfield County Interscholastic Association (FCIAC) West Regional Cross Country title in 15:36.8, by more than a minute. 

“I felt exhausted a lot of the days,” he said. “I was getting into really good shape and I didn’t have a lot to show for it; once indoor track hit, I wasn't feeling very motivated.”

With a hybrid indoor season in Connecticut due to the pandemic, actual racing was limited for athletes and teams. But once the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) did give the green light and spring sports were approved for practices and actual meets to start up again, McLaughlin’s excitement for the sport returned. 

“Once I got back to spring track and racing again, I think really that’s what happened, was being back with the team every day and racing once or twice a week,” he said.  

He said the results didn’t come right away as he opened up the spring season with a modest 4:39 time in the 1,600. 

“It wasn’t an all-out race, but it definitely felt harder than a 4:39 should,” he said.

After some consistent 4:30s, McLaughlin didn’t see a breakthrough until May 20 at a dual meet, when he ran 4:21.15. From there, the times started to drop. 

“Really once the championship season hit, something clicked,” McLaughlin said. 

At the Class LL State Division Meet, McLaughlin ran an eight-second personal best, finishing in third in 4:13.74. 

“I think the main difference was getting to race against some people,” McLaughlin said. “Connecticut has some very good milers. I think that is where a lot of the motivation came from.”

On June 9 at the State Open Championships, he experienced another big breakthrough, clocking 4:08.44 to finish third in the state. That race saw Conard junior Gavin Sherry run a US#1 1,600 time of 4:01.88, while Wolcott senior Nick Bendtsen was second (4:06.09). 

“It was pretty cool to be up there with them and within reach,” McLaughlin said. “In past meets I've gotten lapped by him before, I've been 300 meters behind him before, so it's cool to be just within reach of him.”

McLaughlin's last prep race was at Hayward Field, a place he never imagined his season would end at. He  came up a bit short of the school record of 4:07.26, held by legendary Connecticut runner Kevin King ‘80, who previously held the 1,600 overall state record. 

“In middle school I did summer camp at our high school and in the gym they have all the school records, so I saw the mile record from Kevin King and thought, ‘Wow, that's incredible, that’s so fast,’” McLaughlin said. “To get to the level that I was within reach of that, is pretty neat.” 

Next up for McLaughlin is preparing for Carnegie Mellon at the Division 3 level. McLaughlin, who was turned away by some top running programs, said he’s just looking to continue his statistical progression and make an immediate impact. 

“Obviously D3 has had some great runners and I don't want to see myself as above anyone," McLaughlin said. "I'd love to be an impact scorer on the cross country team right away. It would be cool to be running for more than myself.”