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There’s very little Paul Bergeron has left to chance heading into his senior year as the defending Div. 1 Meet of Champions winner.
Gone are his two biggest rivals – Sam Burgess of Framingham and St. John’s Prep’s Nathan Lopez – both of whom Bergeron pulled away from in the final mile on a chilly day last November on the 3.1-mile Devens layout. Bergeron bounded across the finish line for the win in 15:02.6 a week after finishing second in the Div. 1A meet to Burgess.
Bergeron stands alone as the overwhelming favorite to win come November in his final cross country season before heading off to Stanford. And with a superb track campaign in the spring that produced two startling personal bests of 8:51.88 in the 2-mile and 4:10 in the mile, Bergeron’s stock has only risen.
Under the watchful eye of Westford Academy head coach Scott Hafferkamp, Bergeron has packed in 75-80-miles a week consistently since the end of track and his workouts aren’t for the faint of heart.
“He’s been a lot over the summer,” said Hafferkamp. “As far as the mileage we’ve been very careful. He’s very smart about it.”
Bergeron’s key workout has been his weekly 15-16 mile long runs, which he works down to six-minute pace. He spent time at altitude in Boulder, CO where he averaged 6:30 pace for 16 miles at 9,000 feet. Bergeron only plans on dropping down to 65-70 miles the week leading up to the ultra-competitive Ocean State Invitational, where he raced to a solid second-place finish last fall.
The high mileage and cross training have suited Bergeron and he feels as confident and healthy as ever moving forward. “I’m really in tune with my body right now,” he said. “I’ve done volume training this summer and increased my mileage carefully. It’s all been planned out. My body can handle a lot. I want to be a contender for a national title and I’m doing everything I can to get there.
“Compared to where I was last year I’m miles ahead now.”
Hafferkamp has seen Bergeron’s commitment and burning desire to run well up close. “He is doing all the little things that keep him healthy,” he said. “Paul committed himself to the running lifestyle. He has the concept of training and what his body can do.”
Bergeron has to be looked at as one of the heavy favorites at the national level as well. Not only did he take home wins at the Meet of Champions, Bay State Invitational and Dual County League Championship in 2022, Bergeron also cut a niche for himself nationally. At the Champs Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships he battled over the hilly Van Cortlandt Park layout in the Bronx and finished third in a quick 15:30.8. Two weeks later at the national meet at Balboa Park in San Diego, Bergeron came home with a 15th-place showing against the best harriers in the country.
“I’ll go into those meets with a lot more confidence after experiencing them last year,” he said.
A couple of nagging injuries prevented Bergeron from really unloading during the indoor season, but his winter campaign was hardly a bust. Bergeron lowered his 2-mile personal best to a stellar 9:04.07 and clocked a 4:19.10 mile. Overall though, he was disappointed he couldn’t run even faster after such a great cross country season.
“I had loftier goals coming out of cross country,” Bergeron said. “I had breathing issues and couldn’t do strides. I was just working off my cross country base.”
Bergeron rebounded well with an elite spring campaign and he has been building momentum ever since. Along with Ocean State, he will most likely compete at the Twilight Invitationals, along with hopefully leading the Grey Ghosts to the DCL title.
Westford Academy should have another huge season after finishing second to Brookline at the Meet of Champions. The Grey Ghosts will be tough up front with Bergeron, Jack Graffeo and Davis Haines. Haines is a terrific talent who flew under the radar last fall with a personal best of 16:01 on the Wrentham layout. Graffeo came up big at the Meet of Champions with an eighth-place finish and has the mix of speed and endurance that makes him dangerous up front or moving his way through the pack.
“The guys had a good summer and it’s a matter of staying healthy,” said Hafferkamp. “We’re getting a sense of who we have from the fourth to tenth runners.”
As for another win a Devens? Bergeron believes he can capture a second title, barring sickness or injuries.
“You never really know,” he said. “I feel like I’ll be hard to beat at Devens. We do a ton of workouts there and I really know the course well.”
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