Andy Condon Gives Chase All the Way to the States

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Last year in 2023, Andy Condon didn’t make it to the state meet, and in this year’s 3200 meter state qualifier, his second place finish left him short of the big dance. Fortunately, the junior runner added another event to his arsenal, and in the home stretch of the steeplechase, he was still in play to qualify for the big time in Syracuse, New York. But in the final 150 yards of the race, Condon fell behind to Arseniy Nechaev of Arlington, and while it may have looked like he would be denied again, the John Jay Wolf knew exactly what lay ahead.

“I came around the bend and could tell he had nothing left,” said Condon, and the All Section runner qualified for the States with three seconds to spare.

His first foray into the obstacle course, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so memorable. “I wanted to try the steeplechase out last year, but we got to the meet late so I missed the start of the race,” recalled Condon, who also set the school record in the 3200 meter at the qualifiers.

The seed was planted, though, and the junior took on the very difficult grind. A good deal harder, Condon assured, “It’s a strength based race because once you get toward the end, it turns into muscle memory. You just have to hope you can still make the hurdles.”

Still, the training regimen is about the same in comparison to the 3200 metter, but the obstacles mean a runner has to be on their tippy toes. “I almost took a little bit of a tumble at the counties,” he said of his first place finish.

Landing him in the qualifier at Suffern, he hung back and waited for the pack to fall off. From there, he knew Nechaev would remain on track and in competition.

That is until the runner too faded into the landscape, and off to the states, the horses in the field were definitely not ponies. “I tried to stick with the front of the pack. But from the gun, I was pushed back and got run away from,” he lamented.

Sixteenth place overall, he was hoping for get closer to the top of the leader board. “I was a little bit disappointed,” Condon said. “I wanted to perform a little bit better, but it just was not my day.”

No time to ponder the past or the pain, his sneakers are still on alert. “Next week, I’m going to the Nike Nationals in Oregon,” he said.

There, he hopes to win his heat and blend in too. “It’s track town USA," said Condon. “So I’m happy to go see some stuff in the area and run some races.”

Of course, standing still is also part of the training regimen. Two weeks off, he said, “I’m going to relax.”

Add in a little work in terms of college essays and applications, Condon’s mind will do the racing before actually putting the pedal to the metal. “Next fall, I’ll assess some goals based on my performances and workouts,” he concluded. “I definitely want to see some improvements."

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