NE Distance partners with Providence Public School System to restart Middle School Cross Country Program this fall.
Five New Athletes Join NE Distance
Providence, RI, August 17, 2015
This fall, middle School students in Providence will get the chance to run off some of their energy. Thanks to a partnership between the Providence public school system and NE Distance, a Rhode Island based not-for-profit, kids from all seven middle schools will have the opportunity to participate as harriers in this great fall sport.
The youth will be coached by the NE Distance athletes - Top nationally ranked athletes who are training towards their own ambitious athletic goals. NE Distance recruited five new athletes to be able to run the Providence program. New athletes include:
Steve Mangan
2015 USATF Indoor Nationals Qualifier, 1 Mile (PB 3:58)
2015 BAA Invitational Mile 6th place
Dartmouth College ‘14
Nick Ross
2015 IC4A Champion 1500m
LaSalle University ‘15
Jake Sienko
2016 Olympic Trials Qualifier Marathon
Columbia University ‘15
Jim Spisak
2014 USATF National Road 5k – 5th place
2014 USATF National Road 12k – 9th place
Duquesne University ‘14
Ryan Widzgowski
Maine Distance Running All-Time List
Keene State College ‘14
These new athletes join David Goodman, Katrina Spratford and Henry Sterling on the NE Distance squad. David, Katrina and Henry will continue running the middle school cross country program in Woonsocket that was started last year. Last year, NE Distance, with support from Performance Physical Therapy of Rhode Island, restarted the program and brought 50 kids to the State Championship for the first time in over five years.
Kids in the Providence program will be bused to Roger Williams Park from each of the seven middle schools. Practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays with races on most Fridays. From the park, kids will be able to get buses back on their routes home. Youth interested in signing up for the program can look for the NE Distance athletes at their schools the first week or sign up online at nedistance.org.
Nich Haber, President of NE Distance says: “This is a program that brings together all of the elements of the running community. Our elite athletes coach youth in Providence and Woonsocket. Amateur runners like me can really get excited about rooting for this new great local team”.
Mayor Jorge Elorza of Providence says ““Athletics and healthy recreation activities are important for our youth and our communities as a whole. I am pleased that our students will have a chance to experience cross-country running as part of our ongoing efforts to expand athletic programs for middle school students. Roger Williams Park is a beautiful place to run. I run there every Sunday morning”.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Nich Haber at (646) 732-6066 or email at [email protected].
About NE Distance: Founded in 2012, NE Distance provides underserved urban middle school students with organized physical activity and mentoring by our program’s Athlete-in-Residence Fellows, nationally ranked post-collegiate runners who live and train in the neighborhoods where their students reside.
