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Alvarado, a junior, finished eighth in the 5K race in 15:49.1. The Top 10 runners from four regions advanced to the national championship Dec. 8 in San Diego. He follows in the footsteps of former teammate Connor Rog, who competed in last year’s Foot Locker national championships.
But Alvarado missed about three weeks of running in October with a stress fracture in his foot. He returned to racing in late October and won the Southern Connecticut Conference championship. Alvarado sat out the Class LL championships, then finished fourth in the State Open and ninth in New England.
All along, however, Alvarado kept the Foot Locker race in mind. Coach Bob Ford Jr. had Alvarado peak later than the other runners.
“Because of the injury, I knew I wasn’t going to be running as fast I could in the first few meets,’’ Alvarado said. “I wasn’t so down on myself. I knew that if I just stayed focused, I could reach my ultimate goal. That’s exactly how it worked out.”
Alvarado took a similarly patient approach in Saturday’s race at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. A little more than a mile into it, Alvarado was in 20th place. He moved up steadily and was in the top 10 with about 600 meters to go. He passed a couple of runners in the final stages.
“I didn’t want to go out too crazy,’’ he said. “A lot of people get sucked in and get out way too fast. I think the first mile determines your race. If you can keep that as close to your overall pace as you can, that’s a good indication of how well you’ll do. I ran the first mile in about 5:02, and my final average was 5:05. It was almost spot on.”
Prep runners James Mulliken (21st) and Matt Scholl (23rd) were among the top high school juniors, and Andy Thane was eighth in the sophomore race. The race includes teams from New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania along with New England schools.
There were 169 finishers in Alvarado’s race, and he finished second among underclassmen. Now he has the opportunity to race against an elite national field.
“My goal is to come in the Top 30,’’ Alvarado said. “It’s going to be really competitive. Connor’s best advice was, 'Although you’re going to have the most fun in your life, you’re there to run on a national stage. Just stay focused and run the best you can.' I’m going to represent Prep, Fairfield, Connecticut and the Northeast the best I possibly can.”
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