Berkshire Thunder and Lightning running club caps off season with youth track and field meet
PITTSFIELD — Dozens of cheering parents lined the fences around Taconic High School’s outdoor track on Saturday morning, cheering on the youthfully exuberant competitors at Berkshire Thunder and Lightning’s end-of-season track meet.
The meet kicked off under a sunny sky at 9 a.m. and featured around 50 athletes, ranging from high schoolers to competitors under 5 years old. Nine events were held, beginning with a mile race and concluding with a 4×400 meter relay.
All competitors registered for the event for free thanks to the Berkshire Thunder and Lightning Club, which is a summer running club in Pittsfield that is open to anyone ages 5 through 17.
According to head coach Paul Phelps, over 150 kids trained with Berkshire Thunder and Lightning this summer, with practices hosted at the Taconic track on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
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The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
“We have kids do as many track events as we can introduce them to,” Phelps said.
Phelps, also a cross country and track coach at Taconic High School, noted that nearly a dozen other local coaches have also volunteered their time with the program this summer.
Many of those coaches, such as Patrick Donahue, helped put Saturday’s meet together.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
Donahue coaches throwing events at Pittsfield High School and organized the shot put and javelin competitions on Saturday. He has worked with Berkshire Thunder and Lightning for four years. “Track and field has given me a lot,” he said. “I ran in high school. I ran in college. [This] is a really fun way for me to give back.”
Another coach who led the way on Saturday was Dave Hall, who founded Berkshire Lightning as a summer running club for girls in 2004. After the COVID pandemic, he worked with Phelps to merge Berkshire Lightning with Berkshire Thunder, which had previously only been for boys.
“It’s fun watching [the kids],” he said. “Over the course of the summer, the first practice they are dying, their faces are all red. And by the end of the summer, they’re running, you know, several miles without breathing hard.”
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
Parents spectating the day’s events praised the club. “It’s a great way to be heart healthy and make friends and get outside,” said Toni Marquis, whose three kids, ages 5 through 10, have been running with Berkshire Thunder and Lightning for three years.
Marquis’ son Bryce, 8, won his age group for the mile run, the 400-meter dash, and the 100-meter dash. Most of the day’s races were broken into several heats based on age.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
Another speedy runner on Saturday was Luke Passetto, 11, who won his age group in the 400 meter dash, finishing in 76 seconds. Passetto also finished the mile in 6:22 to lead his age group. “It’s very fun,” he said. “Just finishing feels great.”
In addition to the younger athletes, several high schoolers competed in Saturday’s events. But these older runners were primarily in attendance to help organize the meet.
Cameron Hoisington, a runner at Taconic who also won in the overall mile competition, was one of the high school volunteers. “It’s a great introduction to any events that you would want to do in track, because you can sign up for anything here,” he said.
The Berkshire Thunder and Lightning club held its annual track and field meet on Saturday at Taconic.
An added bonus on Saturday was the presence of Danielle Carlow, who works for First Across Timing, which times high school track meets around the Berkshires. Carlow operated a digital timer in the infield that tracked everyone’s time across all of the events.
“[Coach Phelps] asked me to come out, and I said absolutely, just ’cause it’s kind of a community event,” Carlow said.
At the end of the meet, once the 4×400 relay had finished, the coaches handed out ribbons to every single runner for each of their events, complete with a time and their name. Those times were only possible thanks to the work of Carlow.
Ultimately, the effort that the volunteers put in went towards making Saturday a memorable family occasion.
“The parents tend to love it,” said Hall after ribbons were awarded. “They all have a blast watching these kids run.”
