Tristan Shelgren working to be the best in Massachusetts

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Since the first cross country race of his freshman year, Tristan Shelgren has wanted to be the best distance runner in the state of Massachusetts.

Now a senior at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, that elite title is within reach. 

“It’s always just been my goal no matter what I do, whether it’s playing games or competing, I always want to be the best,” Shelgren said.

An outstanding fall season has included wins at the Ocean State Invitational in Rhode Island in 15 minutes, 32 seconds, where Shelgren edged out Mason Gatewood of St. Anthony’s NY, and the MSTCA Frank Kelley Invitational (15:24.53), where he beat Andrew Mah of Newton North, has him primed for a strong championship run. 

He’ll run Wednesday for his third straight Catholic Conference Classic title, then vie Nov. 11 for his first Eastern Divisional crown. A week later, he’ll run for a state title. In both races, he'll have New Balance Nationals Outdoor 5,000 meters champion Ryan Oosting to contend with.

“I wouldn’t say he’s cocky, but he definitely thinks he should be up there fighting for first,” St. John’s track and cross country coach John Boyle said. 

The veteran coach references a 2016 outdoor track meet when talking about Shelgren’s will to win. A sophomore at the time, Shelgren clocked an impressive 9:10.43 in the 2-mile, but he finished second to Peabody’s Marcelo Rocha, who ran 9:10.23.

“(He) lost by a body width,” Boyle said. “He didn’t care if he was racing against a senior or a junior or anybody else, he was going to put himself on the line and do what he could do to beat everyone on the track or everyone in the event. He’s pretty much kept that attitude. He’s pretty focused and determined that he should be contending for the win in whatever race he’s in.”

A student of the sport, Shelgren explained his competitive spirit stems from his family.

As the youngest, Shelgren got involved in running after his older sister was cut from her high school soccer team. She picked up running, and then he followed suit. Since then, it’s become a near obsession. He owns the school mile record (4:15.93), and won the New England Indoor mile title in March. 

“He’s not a loud personality. He’s kind of a quiet guy, pretty thoughtful, but definitely into the running,” Boyle said. “He’s read, ‘Once A Runner’ eight or 10 times. He’s read ‘Running with the Buffaloes.’ He likes to know who his competition is. He keeps himself up to date.”

Like a football player, he studies film to educate himself on his competitors and their race tendencies. The little details – sleep, nutrition and stretching – he knows they are important ingredients to success. Two days after finishing third in his race Oct. 14 at the Manhattan Invitational, he’d already broken down the race.

“I think looking back at it now, I mentally gave up,” he said. “That’s something I need to work on. (I need to) work on being comfortable (while) being uncomfortable, in a way.”

Boyle said the plan for Shelgren is to compete Nov. 18 at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association All-State Championships, hopefully qualifying as a team. After that, Shelgren’s focus will shift Nov. 25 to the Foot Locker Northeast Championships. Last year, he finished in 14th place, narrowly missing out on a trip to nationals in San Diego.

For the senior, his mindset is to lay it all on the line and run his best race every time out. 

“The biggest thing really is just staying in the race,” Shelgren said. “I hate losing more than I like to win.”