It doesn’t matter the race or the level of competition—Marshall Vernon makes it clear that his goal is always to win. Statewide, regional, and even on the national stage, his mindset never changes. When the gun goes off, the La Salle Academy senior envisions only one finish line: the one he reaches first, with the chasers behind him battling for the remaining top spots.
But even an elite competitor like Vernon—a runner with a résumé filled with state titles and high-level performances on the biggest stages—can have an off day. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes it does. And sometimes it happens when you want to win the most.
For Vernon, his mulligan came at the State Meet a few weeks ago. The defending champion found himself in a race that had the potential to be epic, with fellow rivals and last year’s second- and third-place finishers—Portsmouth’s Sean Gray and Bishop Hendricken’s Colby Flynn—back on the line. The finish was exciting, decided by barely a stride, but it didn’t involve Vernon. The Stanford signee caught a view from behind as Gray held off Flynn for the crown, and Vernon—passed by Hendricken’s David Hayes with about 30 meters remaining—settled for fourth.
“It was definitely one of those races where things just wouldn’t click,” the La Salle standout said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be my day just 200 meters into the race. I was feeling exhausted. My legs felt like they didn’t have anything. There were definitely times during the race when I thought about dropping out, but I just kept fighting through it.”
In his final race on Ponaganset’s Covered-Bridge Trail, Vernon did just that—fight. He stayed in contention for most of the race, even though every stride felt like an uphill battle.
“I ran the race and had nothing,” he said. “It’s funny—I was listening to all the interviews afterward, and everyone was talking about how relaxed and smooth they felt. It was completely the opposite for me. When I heard the split at the mile, I was shocked at how slow it was. I thought we ran 4:45, but it was like 4:57. It was just one of those days. People were chasing records and times. I just wasn’t there.”
As seasoned veterans do, Vernon bounced back. With his eyes on a return trip to Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in a few weeks, he got exactly the race he needed to regain confidence heading into this Saturday’s Nike Cross Regionals–Northeast (NXR-NE).
While he didn’t win, he earned the next best thing at the New England Championships on Nov. 8. On the notoriously brutal course at Vermont’s Thetford Academy, Vernon finished second to Gray in 16:09.48, with the Portsmouth star clocking 15:53.13. Rhode Island shined across the board with Hayes placing fourth (16:20.95), Flynn taking ninth (16:35.0), and Hendricken capturing the team title.
“That was a really fun one—probably one of the most challenging courses I’ve run in my entire life,” Vernon said. “It was brutal. But it definitely helped my confidence after states, after such a confusing race. It was great being part of a Rhode Island sweep with the top two and on the team side with Hendricken.”
Unlike his State Meet struggles, Vernon felt in control at New Englands and executed a strong race to earn his second straight silver medal at the regional meet. The opening stretch was chaotic, but nothing he couldn’t handle.
“It started off pretty tough. It was a narrow start and everyone bunched together. I think I got out in 50th,” he said. “I didn’t get a great start, so I was back with the Hendricken guys, and we did some jostling to get up front. About 600 meters in, we made it.”
Gray led throughout, with Vernon and Flynn among the closest pursuers, about five seconds back at the mile mark. Gray made a surge before midway, and only Vernon responded.
“I was like 10 to 30 meters behind Sean,” Vernon said. “I was in no-man’s land. Sean was leading the charge. It was definitely a different race than usual. The whole first mile is downhill, and you don’t know how hard to push. I think we came through the first 1,000 meters in 2:45, and after that it just slowed—slowed heavily.”
Now the focus shifts to NXR-NE this weekend, where Vernon and Gray will try to earn their second straight trip to NXN after placing fourth and sixth, respectively, last year. Bishop Hendricken is also a legitimate contender for one of the two team qualifying spots.
After his New England title and a big victory earlier this fall at the Shore Coaches Invitational—where he beat many top Bowdoin Park contenders—Gray enters as the individual favorite. But Vernon shouldn’t be counted out, especially after his New Englands rebound.
“I definitely feel I can contend for the title,” he said. “Making nationals is my number one goal, but I want to race from the front. Every time I step on the line, it’s to win. That’s always in my mind, so I’ll never back down from a challenge. I love the course. It’s one of my favorites. I’m super excited to run my last race there and try to make it to nationals again.”
