After four years as a varsity cross country runner, senior Jamie Kelleher took on her role as co-captain of the SHS girls’ team this past fall season. A  leader among her peers and a strong force representing Scituate in the highly competitive Fisher Division, Kelleher qualified for the Eastern Massachusetts regional cross country meets in her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Her involvement both in and outside of cross country certainly qualify her as a runner to watch in her upcoming Spring track season and in the SHS community.

    Kelleher began running in middle school. Despite some adjustments to her running style and the events she participates in, she hasn’t stopped since. At first, Kelleher said, “I thought I was a sprinter…I was wrong.” Rather than giving up, she just gave cross country a try during her freshman year and liked it enough to continue her long distance running during Spring Track. From there she grew into a consistent top-finisher for both of SHS’s teams.

   Kelleher’s growth as a runner has not gone unnoticed by her peers and mentors. Cross country and Spring track and field coach, Mrs. McCarthy, said of Kelleher, “What keeps impressing me so much about Jamie is that she has grown in the sport and as a person. She’s really come into her own, both running and in her personality.” Her cross country team members elected Jamie among a group of leaders, and then voted on Jamie as one of the captains for the girls’ team.

    This leader also deserves recognition for her commitment to the cross country program and passion for running. Kelleher’s mom always used to bring chocolate milk for the team to drink after their races. Kelleher even tried to calm her teammates pre-race nerves with some Zen meditation, a recent interest Kelleher has developed. Offering advice to runners of all levels, Kelleher promises that running is worth the effort. ““What I always tell people is that everyone can be a runner. Some people say, ‘Oh, I’m just not  runner.’ And I say, “Yes, you are.’ Running is more about your mind over body. You have to be able to control what you think and as (Coach Brian Stewart) says, you have to believe.”

    Beyond her passion for running, Kelleher has developed her talents in other areas as well. She plays the clarinet and the obo. She is an SHS Mathlete, a member of the National Honors Society, and helps to run the Latin League, a club for local youngsters to learn about the Latin language and culture. She especially loves studying biology and hopes to find a career in biological and genetic research. These characteristics, along with her humble hard work on the cross country team, culminate in what Coach McCarthy calls a quiet leader. “She’s a role model because people see what a good, genuine person she is. She is worth getting to know,” McCarthy said.

    The appreciation goes both ways for Kelleher. She likes running with Scituate’s cross-country team because “we’re all supportive, but we don’t yell at each other,”’ meaning that team members aren’t too competitive. “It’s more about self-improvement,” Kelleher said.

    When Kelleher runs, she likes to tell a story in her head to distract herself from the pain in her legs. The mental toughness required for long-distance running will allow Kelleher to continue running further than her favorite route, the cross-country route at SHS. She runs with her co-captain, senior Jenna Baker, on weekends to lighthouse, and intends to participate in a Disney princess road-race at Disney World in Florida this Feb. vacation. This year’s Spring track season is the last chance we’ll have  to see this multi-talented runner competing in Scituate’s blue and white, so don’t miss it.