Head Coach Patrick Rielly’s athletic journey began with track during his freshman year of high school, but by sophomore year, he transitioned to cross country to maintain his fitness. Over time, he developed a passion for the sport. This dedication continued as he joined various track teams and even competed as a walk-on for his college team, Rielly noted.
“I started running distance in spring track of my freshman year of high school to stay in shape for basketball. After that first season, I realized that I loved it. I ran cross country in high school starting in my sophomore year to ‘stay in shape for basketball,’ but ultimately, I switched sports to run full time during my junior year. I walked on to my college cross country and track teams, and although I ran cross country, I was more of a mid-distance runner. I started coaching at [Andover] as an assistant coach of Boys Cross Country during my teaching fellow year,” said Rielly.
And Rielly hasn’t looked back since. In fact, his commitment to the sport as a high school athlete himself has extended to his dedication as a coach too. He is currently pursuing USA Track & Field (USATF) Level-2 certification to ensure high quality coaching for the Andover team.
“I’ve pursued USATF coaching education for the last several years to stay current with the latest research about training endurance runners, and I’m almost finished with my USATF Level-3 certification, which involved doing a yearlong project in which I got feedback on our training from professional coaches. Coach [Keri] Lambert and I continue to pursue coaching education so we can aim to bring the best training program for all [Andover cross country] runners,” said Rielly.
Rielly describes how he loves cross country’s simplistic nature and watching students fall in love with the sport like he did. He values each runner’s dedication to improving every practice and believes that the energy they bring makes him love the sport even more.
Rielly said, “I love cross country because you don’t need any fancy equipment or specialized place for the sport. All you really need is a good pair of running shoes and a love of running to do well. I also love the fact that students can discover cross country when they’re at [Andover] and train themselves to be a contributing member of our Varsity team. Seeing students fall in love with this sport over their four years at [Andover] makes coaching cross country endlessly rewarding. I want every athlete to love coming to practice, and I want every athlete to recognize that the effort they’re investing is helping them get a little stronger, a little better every day.”
Co-Captain Jackob Kuelps ’25 offered an athlete’s perspective on Rielly’s coaching style and how Rielly leads practice with intent and purpose to continue improving the team’s fitness. Through specific plans for each day, he lends a helping hand to each athlete depending on their individual needs.
“Coach Rielly’s coaching style is a very aerobic and personalized training plan. As cross country requires strong aerobic fitness, Coach makes sure that each runner is getting enough mileage through easy runs and workouts in order to build that fitness. Unlike other coaches that have one generalized training plan for everyone, Coach Rielly makes around three different training plans each week to cater to the different needs of different runners on the team,” Kuelps said.
Russ McLaren ’27, a new runner for Boys Cross Country this year, praised Rielly’s well-structured coaching approach. In addition to being highly supportive and making an effort to connect with the team through conversations, Rielly fosters a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for everyone.
McClaren said, “I’m new this year, but so far, I’ve really noticed how structured he is. I really like that because I’ve never had as much of an organized coach before. I’ve also found that he’s really such a supportive person, and whenever I’m running alone, he always comes up and tries to have a conversation with me so I’m not lonely.”
Kuelps reiterated the encouraging and open environment Rielly creates for the team. Other than solely focusing on the team’s progress in cross country, Rielly also cares about his student’s mental well-being as he understands the immense Andover course load.
Kuelps said, “What I really appreciate is that Coach Rielly cares about you as a person. Although his primary role is to coach the team, he also cares about the ‘student’ part in student-athlete, making sure that they are OK mentally, especially in such a busy place like Andover. His availability and openness to talk with athletes about their mental health and academic life is also something I really value… Coach Rielly wants our athletes to feel fit and be better off from when they started training and racing at the beginning of the school year. The main goal throughout the season is progressing and improving fitness, which is frankly our primary goal.”
Rielly ended by providing some simple goals in terms of what he wants his runners to take away from Cross Country.
“I hope the runners on Cross Country come away from every season feeling a sense of accomplishment about their pursuit of excellence for themselves, for their teammates, and for Cross Country. Mostly, though, I hope every runner leaves Cross Country knowing that they are runners for life.”
