After Running In The New Balance Grand Prix At Ocean Breeze, The Sherrys Drove Back To Connecticut To Race In Conard's Conference Championship 4x800 Relay

By Mary Albl of DyeStat 

Photos by John Nepolitan

Callum Sherry had one simple question for his coach. 

“Can we do both?”

The Conard CT senior and his twin brother, Gavin Sherry, were left with the predicament of running Sunday in the New Balance Grand Prix Mile on Staten Island, N.Y., or staying in-state and participating in their conference championship. Two different states, two different times, two different meets, so the potential existed.

“I go, ‘Huh. Well, let’s talk to your parents,’” Conard head coach Ron Knapp said. 

That's how it happened so that Sunday the Stanford-bound twins turned what was originally supposed to be one main event into a double feature.

Traveling from West Hartford, Conn., Gavin and Callum arrived Saturday evening on Staten Island, N.Y. The two spent the night, and at 12:20 p.m. EST were on the starting line Sunday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex for the Junior Boys Mile.  

Gavin won the race in an indoor personal-best time and US#2 4:05.10. Callum was fourth in a personal-best effort and US#10 4:10.69. Then, after a cool down, they got back in the car, had some lunch, and made the trek to the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven for the Central Connecticut Conference Championships. The brothers arrived in plenty of time for the start of the 4x800 relay, which was set for 5:35 p.m.

With a goal to lower their time in the event and ensure a chance to advance to state, the Sherrys and teammates Grant Walters and Nicolas Martin finished in second place (8:25.06), improving on their time for the upcoming Class L Divisional meet this Saturday. 

“It worked out well,” Knapp said of the complex logistics of the day. “What I’m really pleased about is that the idea didn’t come from me. Callum just really said, ‘Why can’t we do both?’ For them to show up at the (CCC) and say to our guys, ‘This meet is important, it gives us a couple extra seconds for each guy.’” 

When it was all said and done, Gavin and Callum logged around 10 miles and got in two meets. With a focus on premier meets this indoor season, Knapp said Sunday's experience set them up well, getting back in “meet mode” ahead of the Divisional and State Open this month. 

Sunday’s plan came to fruition by way of the unpredictable winter weather of the northeast.

The CCC Championships were originally scheduled for the same day as The Millrose Games in New York, and Gavin and Callum both competed in the boys mile there. But due to an impending storm, the conference meet was rescheduled. Knapp said the Sherrys traveled to Manhattan the night before to beat the storm, but for that Saturday’s mile, which Gavin won in 4:06.58 and Callum placed seventh (4:13.47), they weren’t 100 percent engaged. 

“They didn’t run what they wanted to,” Knapp said. “There were just so many distractions and they weren’t focused. Gavin said, ‘I sort of woke up in the last half.’ We came out with good efforts and used that as a building tool.” 

A week later, with a clearer mindset and a somewhat crazy plan for running in both meets, both Gavin and Callum proved, in their own unique way, why they are two of the best prep distance runners in the country. In addition to their national rankings in the mile, Gavin is US#1 in the 2-mile (8:50.05) and Callum is US#3 (9:06.50). 

“I’m not shocked, but I'm just pleased,” Knapp said. “And pleased that they are still injury free and going full bore and they are keeping safe in school.”