Citizen Profile: Mike McCormick

Mike McCormick
Port Runner

By Kathleen Downey

Mike McCormick was, literally, running late for an appointment to view a house in Newburyport with his wife, Stella. The couple had been staying in the Port with friends while they looked for a home to purchase. The Andover native had gone out for his daily run and, being unfamiliar with the rural byways of Newburyport’s neighboring communities, realized—on a Byfield country road—that he had no idea where his running shoes had carried him. A friendly Byfield resident allowed McCormick the use of her telephone so that McCormick could alert Stella that he was running behind schedule. Then the amused Byfielder pointed McCormick (who recalls feeling “hot, sweaty, tired, and embarrassed” on that sultry summer day) in the direction of Newburyport. He made tracks toward the Clipper City.

The McCormicks purchased their Newburyport home in a neighborhood off of Low Street in 1991. They had been attracted to the city’s ambiance, with its downtown shops, restaurants, and taverns; proximity to the ocean, Plum Island, and forest; and the feeling of community. Today, McCormick knows the downtown streets, Byfield country roads, and perhaps his most favorite place to run: the wooded trails throughout Maudslay State Park.

“I started running while I was in college at UMass Amherst,” McCormick shares.  He continued running as a graduate student at UMass Lowell and has been running, and encouraging others to run, ever since. “Running is great exercise, and it’s a great stress reliever because it lets you focus on yourself, and not the things in life that cause your stress,” he says. McCormick runs every day, about 50 miles a week. He’s run the Boston Marathon a total of 29 times . . . and counting. His 2011 race marked his 20^th consecutive appearance in the fabled athletic event. His best time was 2:46, “but that was awhile ago,” he laughs. “Running the Boston Marathon is a thrill,” McCormick says, explaining that “the big crowds, the challenge, and the motivation it takes to get out and train all winter” contribute to the heady experience.

McCormick’s participation in the Port’s running community has been steadfast. “I’ve run the Yankee Homecoming 10-miler 15 times,” McCormick shares (confessing, almost contritely, that he didn’t participate in the 2011 race). He’s also been a frequent runner in the commemorative Pat Polletta annual road race, organized by the Winner’s Circle Running Club to which McCormick belongs. And he is the assistant race director for the annual High Street Mile.

But McCormick’s greatest achievements in the local running community are not in the race times he’s set while crossing finish lines. Rather, his greatest achievements are found in the shoes of others: that is, the community’s younger citizens. As assistant track coach for Newburyport High School (NHS), McCormick strives to foster the competitive spirit, inherent in the sport of running, in its pure and disciplined form to help young people realize their full capabilities and their life’s potential.

Modest in his role and the contributions he’s made in the Port’s young lives, McCormick helped to lead the NHS boys’ indoor track team to championship this year. Representing NHS, he helps to coordinate, in collaboration with coaches from Triton, Amesbury, and Pentucket schools, the River Rivals track series each summer. Sponsored by the Winner’s Circle Running Club, this open track meet provides the opportunity for young runners to challenge themselves and compete with one another through several age divisions: ages 6 to 8, 9 to 13, 14 to 18, and age 18 and older.

And McCormick is excited about a newly established running program for local youth. “The River Rival Youth Track Camp is a four-week summer track camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 14,” he explains the program’s parameters. He is enthusiastic about the program’s potential to give young people the tools to help “take care of other parts of their lives” and describes his role as a coach for this program as “rewarding.” McCormick is optimistic about the program’s possibility for expansion.

As the Newburyport coach and coordinator for the annual Hershey’s National Youth Track and Field Program, McCormick says, “Kids get to learn about themselves while learning how to become good athletes.” Sponsored locally by the Winner’s Circle Running Club, this athletic program of the giant chocolatier with an impetus in “helping get kids on the right track, teaching lifelong lessons, and having fun every step, leap, jump and throw along the way” is open to boys and girls ages 9 to 14. Events are held each June at Fuller Track on Low Street.

Coaching, while it might seem to encompass all of McCormick’s time, is what he does in his spare time. For the past 25 years, McCormick has been a teacher at Methuen High School in the Social Studies Department. He describes teaching Psychology to junior and senior classmen as “tough, intense, rewarding, and never boring.” In his role as teacher, McCormick says he does his best to give his students’ perspective and insight in identifying and coping with societal issues that may otherwise cause stress and duress in their young lives. And he believes that his passion for running helps to cultivate a stronger relationship with students. “When they find out that their teacher goes out and runs 7 or 8 miles each day, they tend to regard me with greater respect,” McCormick shares with a smile.

With a proven track record as a coach and as a teacher, McCormick says that he is most proud of his role as a parent. Both his daughters are award-winning athletes. Megan, age 22, graduated this year with high honors from Holy Cross and is a hurdler who recently completed a half-marathon. Hannah, age 19, a track star and National Honor Society member while a student at NHS, is a middle-distance runner. She is following her own path as she enters Holy Cross this year.