Adirondack Sports March 2024

28 Adirondack Sports
ATHLETE PROFILE
Lou Serafini
NAME: Louis (Lou) Serafini
AGE: 32
FAMILY: Fiancé, Gabi; Parents,
Rocco and Annie; Sisters,
Helen and Olivia
HOMETOWN: Niskayuna
TOWN: Cambridge, Mass.
SPORTS: Cycling, Hiking, XC
Skiing, Ice Skating, Softball
– anything outside!
MVP STOCKADE-ATHON
15K, 2022 WIN, HIS
SECOND OF THREE.
LOU, GABI, MEREDITH AND HONEY.
A Journey to Find the Joy
By Kristen Hislop
Much of the time we talk about a running
progression as a journey. You start
and tackle milestones as you progress.
Those could be distance or time goals,
and often you hear the phrase ‘enjoy the
journey.’ For kids in high school and college,
times matter, but you’ll hear good
coaches talk about the process. When
you’re in the middle of a season that
might not be going well, there tends to
be little joy in running. It is all about completing
the workout, hitting the times,
and doing well at meets. This pressure
can come from a variety of places: self-inflicted,
coaches, parents, teammates, and
nowadays social media. As you’ll learn
from Niskayuna native, Lou Serafini’s
story, when the joy is present, great and
fun stuff follows.
Lou grew up tagging along with his
dad, Rocco, who ran at the Summer Track
Series at Colonie High School. His mom,
Annie, started Niskayuna Moms on the
Run in 2000. The group has grown to a
network of 100 women, running various
distances and meeting around Niskayuna,
with the same essence of camaraderie,
support and friendship. While Lou participated
at the Colonie meets and watched
his mom build a running community, he
focused on baseball.
It wasn’t until high school that Lou
found a passion for running. He had done
cross-country starting in sixth grade, but
when he broke five minutes for the mile in
ninth grade, running jumped to the front
seat. He was convinced by the Niskayuna
High School coach to try outdoor track &
field. After learning that if he quit baseball,
and focused on running, a 4:30 mile was
possible, he says, “I did, and then ran 4:22
as a sophomore at a dual meet at Burnt
Hills. I never looked back.”
Louis and Niskayuna Coach Jason
DeRocco have a favorite memory of his
high school career. Lou says, “I have memories
of this crazy triple my coach would
let me do during indoor sectionals. I would
run the 1600 meters, and sit and kick as
slow as possible to try to win. Immediately
after was the 600 meters, and I would race
that. Then, I’d have about an hour to rest
before running the 1000 meters. I did it my
junior and senior year at UAlbany meets,
and both times won the 1600 and 1000
but was never better than second in the
600.” Coach DeRocco also remembers the
time Lou ran the mile at Penn Relays as an
individual. Then he came back the following
day and ran the 4x400 relay so that his
teammates would have the opportunity to
race at the infamous Penn Relays.
Kids sometimes set lofty goals for
themselves in high school. Then, as they
2016 OLYMPIC MARATHON
TRIALS IN LOS ANGELES.
look ahead to college, they see the benchmark
times college coaches set to make
the team. Lou had a dream to run the
Millrose Mile, but when he came up short
there, he set out to break 4:20 in the mile.
He ran 4:13 his senior year. With the times
he had posted in high school, colleges
were looking at him.
When asked about choosing Boston
College, he said, “I had it in my head that
I wanted to stay close to home and be in
a city. Boston College ticked both boxes
for me. I was a late bloomer in school so I
knew I could use running to help me get
into a good college, and Boston College
was the best fit at the time.” Running well
in cross-country and track & field is a great
asset to get into the college of choice – let’s
spread that gospel.
About deciding on a program, Lou
recommends, “I would speak with many
BOSTON COLLEGE AT 2011
DARTMOUTH RELAYS.
different coaches but ultimately, college
is more than just running! It’s a huge part
of your decision but at the same time, it’s
important to prioritize your other needs:
location, education, etc. A good coach and
program will support you no matter what,
so look for honesty and a willingness to listen
when talking to coaches.” As a mom of
two college runners this is very sage advice.
Entering college is a huge transition.
Kids go from being the best to just like the
rest. But athletics can help prepare you for
that. Lou adds, “college was challenging
being a small fish in a big pond so a lot
of it was about adapting, taking what the
sport was giving me, and celebrating the
small successes. There were some wonderful
moments like breaking 25 minutes
at the famed Franklin Park cross-country
course, and winning the 4x800 at the New
England track & field meet. I wouldn’t