WORCESTER—Lily Longton started running at 11 months old and she hasn’t stopped since.
In pre-school, she never got tired, even after consecutive races against every student that would challenge her in the schoolyard.
At seven years old, she ran her first 5K, a turkey trot in her hometown of Shrewsbury.
Now a 13-year-old eighth grader at Notre Dame Academy, Longton has been turning heads as a running prodigy within local and regional cross country and track circles.
Her adoptive mother, the Hon. Nicole Longton, an associate justice of the district court, recalls that Lily was already noticeably athletic at just a year old. She was running and dribbling a soccer ball so skillfully at that time that a social worker who came for a home visit noted those skills in her report. No one realized it then, but that was likely the first real scouting report on Lily Longton.
But her running talent is a secret no longer. This past fall as a member of the varsity cross country team at Notre Dame, Longton placed first overall in five out of six meets while competing against several upperclassmen on12 teams. She also set a course record in a meet at Worcester Tech.
At the Wachusett Invitational, she medaled with a ninth-place finish at 22:35 while going up against runners from several large schools. At the state meet for Division 2C on Nov. 9 at Fort Devens, Longton ran a 22:08 making her the only eighth grader to finish within the top 30.
“Sometimes I do get nervous, but I believe in myself and I have great support,” said Longton. “I have a lot of faith in the work I put in and what I can do with what I have.”
That preparation work includes a regimen of sprints, long runs on the weekends of at least five miles, yoga, stretching, bike riding and cross training.
During Notre Dame’s recently completed indoor track season, Longton competed at a state meet, once again among mostly older student-athletes. Despite a field of experienced runners, she finished 10th overall in the mile at 5:51.
“I am excited to see her grow,” said Christina Andreoli, who stepped in as interim coach for Notre Dame during the indoor season when the regular coach accepted a teaching position. “She has a competitive spirit and I think there are only good things to come for Lily.”
Growing up, Longton played team sports such as soccer, lacrosse and basketball. When she enrolled at Notre Dame as a seventh grader in 2023, her participation on the cross country team seemed temporary at first.
Longton was a talented soccer player, but there was no junior varsity team at the school; only varsity. The original plan was to run cross country for a season to stay in shape and attempt varsity soccer the next fall. But she excelled in cross country and fell in love with competitive running. She left soccer in the dust for cross country and track.
In addition to running for Notre Dame, Longton also competes as an individual, often running unattached at events held at the Reggie Lewis Center and New Balance track in Boston. She often competes against athletes that are members of youth running clubs in Boston, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Without an organized youth running club in Worcester or Central Massachusetts, Longton is often on her own when it comes to competing and assembling what she can for training plans. Despite not having these resources at her immediate disposal, Longton has persevered and competed at every step.
This spring she’ll compete as a member of the outdoor track and field team for Notre Dame before diligently training for the fall cross country season.
The next four years promise to be exciting for Longton as she looks to solidify her presence as a fixture among the elite runners in the state.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
