Stonehill's Gill runs through barriers
October 11, 2006
By John Connolly, Boston Herald
Stonehill's Keith Gill has overcome more obstacles than the ones on the average cross country course. The junior harrier from Brockton has spent the better part of two years battling illness and injury while managing to produce All-America-caliber performances.
"Personally, the biggest thing that you notice after missing (time) is that you never take it for granted," a now healthy 20-year-old Gill said. "Whenever I get out there I don't take it for granted. Just being able to run with the team, those are the best parts."
Last month, Gill led Stonehill to a win in the Codfish Bowl at Franklin Park. Gill (third) and All-American teammate David Metzger (fourth) finished in an identical time of 25:31 for the 8-kilometer course.
Gill finished 15th last weekend at the New England Championships, covering Franklin Park's 5-mile course in 25:13 as the Skyhawks finished 12th as a team.
The 5-foot-9, 140-pound Gill was an All-Scholastic at Brockton High but was nagged by a right leg problem involving the iliotibial band - a thick, wide layer that runs along the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee joint.
Stonehill coach Karen Boen held Gill back from competition in his freshman season to aid the healing process. That tortoise approach led to a successful indoor track season in which Gill was named Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year after covering 4:14 for the mile in a meet at Boston University. Gill continued to improve during outdoor track, earning All-New England status by running 3:57.3 in the 1,500 meters at New Hampshire.
Gill carried that newfound confidence into summer training and was primed to return in excellent shape that fall. Instead, leg woes persisted. Boen sent Gill to see a doctor, ending the cross country and indoor track seasons.
"Whenever I ran my legs really hurt. MRI and CAT scans didn't show anything wrong," Gill said. "I tried to run the New Englands at Franklin Park and had to drop out, which I've never done before in my life. I wasn't able to recover. It became very frustrating. Finally, in early January, they found out I had (mononucleosis). When they tested they also found out I was anemic. They put me on a multi-vitamin, which I take every day."
Boen said the mental hurdle of missing running was the hardest for Gill.
"He was very discouraged but he hung in there," Boen said of Gill, who has dropped his mile time from 4:18 in high school to a Stonehill record 4:10.64. "He went into this past summer healthy although we were still a little cautious. I think the demons are off his back."
Gill excelled in the 1,500, running a 3:55.0 in a torrential rain at the New Englands last May and went on to earn All-America status at the NCAA Division 2 outdoor meet with a 4:04.25.
"Everything has been going great," Gill said. "When running becomes your life and you can't do it any longer it's like everything is taken away from you. It kills. You just have to stay positive."
