Athlete: Gabe Montague
Year: Senior
School: Health & Injuries
Location: Newton, MA
800m PR: 1:54.5
1,000m PR: 2:30.6
Mile PR: 4:15.82
Gabe Montague of Massachusetts, a musical prodigy who ran 100 miles a week last summer and occasionally stopped to play the piano en route, is training for the biggest race of his career—the upcoming New Balance Grand Prix junior boys mile on Feb. 8 in Boston. Montague, an 18-year-old senior at Newton North High in the Boston area, will compete on the nearby Reggie Lewis track in an event that he is still learning. When Montague ran a nation-leading 4:15.82 on Dec. 28, it was only the third competitive mile of his life.
Dream Miles: Working off his abundant cross country base, Montague started the indoor season with four victories in late December. He won a 1,000m in 2:41.67, a 600m in 1:25.40 and a mile in 4:21.82 prior to his 4:15.82, Montague’s first sub-4:20. He triumphed by 11 seconds. Montague’s winter goal is the Newton North indoor mile record of 4:11.50 set by all-American Chris Barnicle in 2005.
Massachusetts Depth: Montague’s breakthrough earned him an invitation into the New Balance event, always a season highlight. Another early invite went to Montague’s likely state meet rival, Nick Carleo, a junior from Newburyport High whose 4:15.80 mile on Jan. 4 slightly surpassed Montague’s time as the nation’s fastest. With Garrett O’Toole of Middlesex running 4:16.10 behind Carleo in the same race, Massachusetts boys were listed 1-2-3 nationally as of early January.
Polar Vortex: Amid sub-zero temperatures gripping the Northeast in the early season, Montague could count on his school’s heated indoor track, a four-lane, 160-yard surface that is part of the school complex. Still, Montague, who has 50-second 400m speed, was not keen on the small oval and its sharp turns, preferring workouts on the long expanse of Commonwealth Avenue, part of the Boston Marathon course.
Fall Fortunes: Last November, Montague won the Massachusetts state Division I cross country title in 14:27 for the 2.9-mile course in Gardner. Montague then put in a 100-mile week for the Foot Locker Northeast Regional, two weeks after state, at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. But Montague came down with a stomach virus before the meet. He tried to compete at in the regional but had to drop out after 2 miles.
Big Mileage: Montague got the idea for 100-mile weeks while attending a running camp in New Hampshire, where he trained three times a day. “It made me realize it was something that worked for me,” he said. “I felt better than when I’d run twice a day.”
Summer Vacation: Building his mileage, Montague reached 100 a week in August while spending a few weeks at his family’s summer place on remote Swan’s Island off the coast of Maine. “I would roll out of bed and go for 3 or 4 miles, have breakfast, do my main run at midday, pushing the pace, and then run again before dinner,” he said. Montague never ran more than 8 miles at once.
No Problem: How did that high volume sit with long-time Newton North coach Jim Blackburn? When Montague told Blackburn of his efforts, the coach replied, “Good work!” Blackburn, 75, was a 2:46 marathoner in his 30s and once did a 50-mile race around a 400-meter track.
Piano Man: As an eminent young pianist in classical and jazz who started writing music at age 6 and has been cited nationally as a performer and composer, Montague longed for a musical interlude on the island. He found a piano on the island’s “big hall.” On a couple of 8-milers, he would run 4 miles to the hall, sneak in, play Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” then finish his workout.
Grand Stage: Montague has composed numerous pieces for various instruments and wind ensembles, including at least four pieces for full orchestra, one of which was premiered by the Newton Symphony Orchestra. He has studied with teachers affiliated with the New England Conservatory, Tanglewood and MIT. His awards include being a winner of the National Association for Music Educators Student Composers competition. His prize selection was performed in Nashville last October. Montague could not attend. He had a cross country meet.
Prerace Routine: While Montague says, “I think about music a lot when I run,” he is not the sort of runner who uses music to get pumped up for a race. “I race best when I’m relaxed,” he says. “I sometimes listen to classical music before I race. I’m still in the process of discovering what effect music has on my running.”
Slow Start: As a freshman, Montague could muster only a 5:35 indoor mile. But that first season he improved his 1,000m more than 30 seconds to 2:52 and picked up a novice victory, which taught him “to use the anticipation of winning to carry me along.” It would take time for more victories to come but, said coach Blackburn, “Gabe goes all-out in practice every day and it’s paid off for him.”
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.
