Patrick Forrest-A Seasoned Runner

Having come from a family where both his father (Paul) and uncle (Jim) ran for Norwood High School, Patrick Forrest got involved running with them in road races growing up, but it wasn’t until he entered high school when he started to get serious about his running ability. Finding himself too small to play football, he opted for cross country.
“When I joined the cross country team I really didn’t know what to expect; I knew that I was fast but had never run through woods, Forrest said. “I had the running genes, so I figured I could handle it. I had a good season and found that I like running. I decided not to play basketball that winter and joined the indoor track team instead.”
When he began running indoor track under then Coach Russ Booth, Forrest knew that he wanted to be a sprinter or middle distance runner, but it was the Coach that introduced him to the 4 x 4.
Year by year the Norwood native found himself getting better and better with his running and by this his senior campaign was near the top of his game. For the Mustangs, Forrest ran the opening leg of the 4x4 relay, the 600, 300 and 1000 in addition to the long jump. As a junior the year earlier, the Norwood runner had got to participate in the States where his team finished 6th in the 4 x 4 relay and individually Forrest grabbed an 8th place finish in the 600, his forte.
Forrest used that experience when he returned to the tournament in hopes of doing better. The 4 x 4 team slipped and was only able to grab an 11th place finish, while Forrest took 7th in the long jump with a leap of 18’ 7” and a 3rd place finish in the 600 running a time of 1:23.3. Having placed high in the 600, Forrest then got to move onto the All State Tournament where he came out with a 10th place finish running a 1:24.1.
Although having the opportunity to conclude his senior year with a return trip to the State Tournament and a first visit to the All States, it was not necessarily the outcome he was looking for.
“I didn’t do as well as I had hoped for in the long jump," Forrest said. "I was looking to jump at least 20’ and beat my best jump of 19’11. The 600 was a good performance and I stayed strong with the top two runners so I was pleased with that, but at the All States I went into the race seeded 7th and was looking to finish top 6 so that I could move on, but I got into a tough situation and couldn’t get out of it.”
Norwood boy’s indoor track Coach Matt Curran not only saw a lot of improvement in Forrest, but also noted he did have his troubles once he got to the All State Tournament.
“Pat comes from a great background and really put it all together this season," Curran said. "His teammates all look up to him and expect him to win every time he steps on the track. In the Division 3 States Tournament, his third place time came with his best performance of the year, unfortunately at the All States he got boxed in early and couldn’t make his way out.”
Coming into the season Forrest was intent on breaking the 1:24 barrier, which he did three times prior to the States. However, in order to do that he trained more in the off season.
“I’ve always loved the 600 because of how fast it is, but I also like the endurance and mental part of it near the end of the race,” Forrest said. “Coming into my senior year I really wanted to have a good year so that I could continue to run in college; it’s down to Bryant and Merrimack as my choices.”
While the season didn’t conclude as Forrest would have liked, he did achieve his goal of breaking 1:24 and showed prospective colleges that he has what it takes to be a successful runner.