Track and field holds many opportunities for athletes to succeed. There are many different events for athletes to compete in and create a passion for. Junior Keira Lang has created success for herself on Revere’s track team as a varsity distance runner. Lang began running in middle school and has continued to train harder as she became more dedicated to the sport. Track provides Lang with friendships that will last a lifetime, coaches that constantly support her and accomplishments that she will always be able to look back on with pride. Along with track, Lang also runs for Revere’s cross-country team and trains consistently during the off-season to stay prepared for her upcoming races. Lang has found immediate success with running and discovered the sport that brings her the most exhilaration.
Lang is inspired to stay motivated in the off-season knowing all her hard work will pay off when the season starts. The people around her continue to help keep her accountable for her runs and remind her the importance of staying active out of season. Lang understands the significance of her workouts and looks forward to showing off her growth during the competitions.
“You kind of just have to have this mentality. . . . Knowing this in the long run is going to help me. My favorite part of track would probably be . . . the meets because that’s where you get to show off all your talent and all the hard work you’ve done,” Lang said.
Lang went to the State Meet during the 2024 season for the 4×8 event with her teammates Caroline Wilson, Ellie Meech and Aleni Bender. For Lang, she will forever remember this moment and will always cherish the success of her and her teammates. Track has given Lang a core memory and motivation to have more achievements like going to states for next season to make her school proud.
“Going to states for our 4×8 was just awesome because it’s been so long since a running event has gone to states. It was just a fun experience overall, that whole weekend we spent there. I’m looking forward to maybe getting the school record,” Lang said.
Kevin Somerville has been Lang’s coach since her first days in track back in middle school and has supported her all the way through to high school. Somerville appreciates Lang’s dedication and passion to the sport. He sees her constant commitment and progress and enjoys watching her succeed at her goals. Somerville continuously supports Lang through all of the hardships and motivates her and her teammates to work hard to achieve their goals.
“It’s a lot of fun because, [in] Keira’s case specifically, there’s been so much work behind all of the improvements she’s seen so to see that all come together is really fun to watch, for someone that committed,” he said.
Somerville looks out for the runners and supports them while they balance their schoolwork and social life with track. Time management can become difficult at times, but Somerville creates a level of understanding and flexibility to help his athletes balance everything. Somerville also feels that his team needs to lift eachother up to succeed. Runners need teammates that will always be there to support each other and lift each other’s spirits when needed according to Somerville.
“We’re pretty flexible with getting academics done first. . . . It’s just a matter of them staying focused throughout the season and just building enough time to mentally and physically recover from the huge workload doing both. . . . We’re looking [at] character. . . . Yeah, we have individual results, but when you look at team scores and the dynamic of our team, it doesn’t happen if you don’t have a team full of girls that have great attitude and great characters,” Somerville said.
Somerville is hopeful to see growth and development amongst his runners. He thinks that continuing to improve and learning new skills is crucial to having success in the sport. Somerville also believes Lang has the chance to break records and make it to states again with her improvement.
“Improvement is always, like the main focus. . .it can happen whether it’s, you know our fastest runner like Keira all the way down through an entire team. It’s just fun to see great improvement from everyone. . .Keira was a second or two away from the 1600 meter record last spring, so it will be fun to see. I think she’ll have a great shot at that this year,” Somerville said.
Lang expressed how cross country and track have given her some of her best friends and most of her social circle revolves around the sports. Lang works hard during practice to improve her skills, but practices also give her the opportunity to hangout with her friends and have some fun. Lang was asked what keeps her motivated during the season, and she believes her friends are what keep her going.
“Most of my social life is track because I just hangout with my friends during it . . . probably running with my friends [keeps me motivated],” Lang said.
Lang’s teammate and friend Caroline Wilson has been running with her since middle school. Wilson and Lang support each other through each other’s achievements and losses and will be there to motivate each other on good days as well as bad days. They have built such a strong bond because of track and continue to grow as athletes as their friendship matures.
“[Lang is] basically my sister at this point. . . . When I’m doing a workout by myself, it’s not as good because we definitely push each other really hard . . . [with] how she pushes me to be a better runner and how I push her to be a better runner and how we cheer each other on,” Wilson said.
Training with friends and having the support of her coaches has given Lang the courage and determination she needs to go far in track and be very successful in the sport. Lang is now approaching her junior year of track. She hopes to accomplish her goals and overcome challenges of the upcoming season.
