Athlete: Marco Pompilj
Year: Senior
School: Collegiate School
Location: New York, NY
1600m PR: 4:13.20
3200m PR: 9:12.45
5K cross country PR: 14:57
Marco Pompilj, one of the best high school distance runners in New York City, thrives in his urban environment. He lives in midtown Manhattan, goes to class on a crosstown bus and trains in Central Park. Last month, in his biggest victory—featuring a dramatic homestretch duel similar to Sunday’s New York City Marathon—Pompilj outkicked Edwin Rutto, a star from New Jersey, to the tape.
Homestretch Battle: Pompilj, a Collegiate School senior, won a fierce contest—elbow brushing included—over Rutto of New Jersey at the Brown Invitational on Oct. 18 in Warwick, Rhode Island. Rutto, a Kenyan attending St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark (just like Edward Cheserek before him), was the favorite after placing third in the previous week’s Manhattan Eastern States race at Van Cortlandt Park (VCP) in the Bronx.
Super Surges: At Manhattan, Rutto ran 12:15.7 on VCP’s 2.5-mile course, while Pompilj and his Collegiate team skipped the meet. The week before, Pompilj won the Mayor’s Cup at VCP in 12:22.2. The stage was set at Brown, and on the fast Goddard State Park 5K trails, Pompilj and Rutto ran together, testing one another, poised for a big finish. “I surged,” Pompilj says, referring to the home straight. “Then I held back and Edwin passed me. Then I got him at the very end.” Pompilj clocked 14:57 and Rutto, a junior, ran 14:58.
New York, New York: While Pompilj is humble to a fault and says, “I haven’t really done anything special,” he will admit to being a threat at the upcoming New York State Federation Championship on Nov. 15. Plus, he’s hoping to run fast at the NXN New York Regional on Nov. 29. Both events are at ultra-hilly Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls. Last year, Pompilj placed fourth in the Feds championships and 14th at the Regional.
Central Park: Collegiate runners avoid Central Park’s concrete paths and instead train on the 2.5-mile Bridle Path for long runs, the 1.6-mile Reservoir for tempo runs and the 320-meter cinder track on the north end of the park for speed work. Pompilj considers 8 x 320m on the track with a one-lap recovery jog one of his tougher workouts. The squad also buses up to VCP for hill work.
Italy Vacations: Pompilj’s mother is Chinese and his father is Italian. Last summer, Pompilj and his dad and some friends spent a month on Italy’s Adriatic coast to the east of Rome. It was there that Pompilj ran his cross country base work, reaching 70 miles a week. He spent part of the trip in Venice running around the canals.
Collegiate School: Founded in 1628 and said to be the nation’s oldest school, the all boys K-12 private school is situated on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a short jog from Central Park. (The list of notable graduates includes John F. Kennedy, Jr.) Despite a small student body, only 220 boys in grades nine through 12, Collegiate cross country has upwards of 40 team members, a testament to the success of its longstanding coach, George Calano. On Oct. 31, the Collegiate boys captured their 36th straight Ivy Prep School League cross country title, taking six of the top 11 places at VCP. Pomplij was an easy winner.
Fast Start: Pompilj entered Collegiate in fifth grade and started track and cross country two years later. He also played soccer but found his potential in running. After dropping soccer, Pomplij achieved top track performances as a ninth grader. Pompilj won the freshman 2 mile in 9:36.81 at outdoor nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. He also ran a 4:17.61 1600m at the Loucks Games in New York.
Steady Progress: By last spring, as a junior, Pompilj had cut his times down to 4:13.20 in the 1600m, taking ninth in the state meet, and 9:12.45 in the 3200m, winning at the St. Anthony’s Invitational on Long Island. He also ran invitational miles at the Millrose Games, Penn Relays and outdoor nationals. Pompilj uses his team’s Ivy League meets for training, often working on speed in the 200m, 400m and 800m. He even ran the 55-meter dash indoors.
Urban Legend: Pompilj, taking full advantage of New York’s cultural offerings, says that the richness of city life makes running more of a “counter-balance” than the fulltime pursuit it tends to be in the suburbs. Pompilj feels proud when, despite concrete school campuses and limited training options, city opponents can give him a run. At the Mayor’s Cup, Pompilj was happy to be pressed by John Rice of Xavier, who was in second place by 15 meters. Xavier, also located in Manhattan, will compete in this Sunday’s Catholic high school championships at VCP.
Proper Peaking: Since Calano cut the team’s fall racing schedule to allow for more consistent training, Pomplij, who will do his college running at Dartmouth, feels stronger than ever with the big events coming up. “Marco is prepared for the upcoming challenges,” Calano says. “With his talent, work ethic and discipline, he’s everything a coach could ask for.”
Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.
