Belmont’s Ellie Shea returns for third B.A.A. Invitational Mile

Bundled up in a periwinkle blue puffer jacket, 18-year-old Ellie Shea warms up after a cool Thursday morning track workout at Belmont High School. 

Usually, Shea doesn’t do pre-race interviews. The reason behind the decision is simple: she doesn’t see the point in talking about something that hasn’t happened yet. 

It’s not a superstition – the high school senior and elite runner says doesn’t have any – but rather another element of her competitive edge. It’s the same keen focus that led her to place 15th overall at the U20 World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia last week. 

Now, however, as Shea prepares to take to the starting line of the Boston Athletic Association Invitational Mile for the third consecutive year on Saturday, there’s an element of familiarity that she’s ready to talk about.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity and for the B.A.A. for inviting me to this race. The past two years, and again this year, and just giving me that opportunity to improve and learn a lot,” Shea said.

B.A.A. president Jack Fleming and Senior Director of Professional Athletes Mary Kate Shea first invited the Belmont-native to compete in the road race at just 16 years old. 

In between senior year school work, training, and travel, Shea caught up with Boston.com before the B.A.A. Invitational Mile in her first-pre race interview ever.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Boston.com: Last week you returned home from Belgrade, Serbia where you competed in the World Cross Country Championship, placing 15th overall and leading Team USA to fourth. Congratulations! Why was this race so important for you?

Ellie Shea: It was great opportunity. It was really awesome to get to test myself against some other girls my age from around the world. And going with Team USA, meeting up with some girls that I had already known was really fun. We get to race together, but we’re from all over the country, so it was really fun to sort of get to be on a team together again and compete.

BDC: This next race, the B.A.A Invitational Mile, is a pretty quick turnaround in terms of competitions. How have you been prepping since coming back to the States?

ES: I got back into workouts with my teammates and sort of got the travel out of my legs. I feel like this race is a really fun season opener on the roads in Boston and it’s just a great chance to learn a lot from racing. It’s a very elite field with older athletes who are more experienced than I am. 

BDC: Last year you finished 10th at the invitational mile, and this year you’re going up against the pros again. How do you feel going into this year’s race? Are you excited for anything new?

ES: I feel really good. I’m definitely really excited. Every year it’s been a little different, you know. The race is always always run differently and the course changes. So I’m excited to see how it will be this year and I’m just excited for the challenge.

BDC: What’s it like to be able to be one of the local runners who can come and compete on your home turf?

ES: I don’t get to race super close to home that often, so when I do, it’s really fun for me. Just not having to travel can be really beneficial. It’s always great when your family can come and see you run too. But specifically, just like being able to be a part of the whole Boston Marathon weekend is really exciting. The city of Boston really comes together for the Marathon every year, and I’ve grown up going to it almost every year, and I’ll definitely watch on Monday. I think the weekend before the race down in Boston where the mile race is, there’s always a lot of people out, you know, excited about running, and that is really fun for me to see.

BDC: Do you have any ambitions of running the Boston Marathon yourself?

ES: Maybe one day! But not for a while.

BDC: Now that you’re getting ready to graduate soon, what’s next? Do you plan on running at a collegiate level?

ES: I’m not entirely sure what my future will look like yet, but I’m excited to just keep improving and getting better each year.