Pittsfield's Harrington to Represent U.S. at Mountain Biking World Championships
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After placing fourth for Pittsfield High School in the state cross country championships and helping Pope Francis go to the state girls hockey championships, Kellie Harrington started competing for yet another team.
And this one is taking her to the World Championships.
Harrington, who competes in mountain biking for the California-based Bear National Team, has earned a spot on the USA Cycling squad that will travel to next month's World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
She is one of three Bear athletes who make up the U.S. contingent in the Junior Women's competition at the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, a precursor to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
In all, there are 20 cross-country bikers on Team USA, including competitors in the Elite, Under-23 and Junior divisions. Eighteen of them are from the states of California, Colorado or Utah. Only Harrington and Middlesex, Vt.'s Carson Beard, in the U23 class, reside east of the Mississippi.
A dominant runner in the Berkshire County cross country running league, Harrington has been just as successful, if not more successful, in her other cross country sport. Just don't expect her to choose between them.
"I would have to say that they both complement each other," Harrington said. "I really don't think I could pick. I am committed to both and love both. I love how they both challenge me, and I can take racing experience and lessons learned from both to help me become a better racer and person."
After representing her country Aug. 8-12 in the UK, Harrington will come home and continue getting ready to enroll later in the month at eastern Massachusetts' Stonehill College, where she is a recruited harrier for the Division I Skyhawks.
This week, she spoke with iBerkshires.com about the sport and her involvement with the Bear National Team and her future.
Question: How were you chosen for the team for Worlds? Was it based on cumulative points in the season or a one-time qualifying event or … ?
Kellie Harrington: To qualify for the Worlds team, you had to be ranked in the top 15 in the world. I was ranked 16th.
So it went to my petition. I filled out a form where I explained why I wanted to be on the team, why I thought I would be a good fit. It came down to that petition form. USA Cycling has a committee of, I think, 10 people. They would go through the discretionary petitions and pick people based on that.
Sixteenth in the world is a good starting position. Your starting position is based on your ranking. My lowest placement was fourth in the five races I did this season.
Q: Five races in how long a time frame?
Harrington: From June last year to June this year. So it was this spring, my five races
Q: Where did you race?
Harrington: My first race was in March in Tennessee. Usually, they have a short track on Friday and race the cross country/mountain bike event on Saturday. Arkansas in April,. another three-day race event. I went to Wisconsin in May and Montana in June — all two-day/three-day race events
I just got back last night [Sunday, July 16]. I went to New Brunswick, Canada, for a race there. They have a Canada Cup I could get some points at. I came in fourth there.
Q: You said the events usually have a short track and a longer component?
Harrington: Short track is 20 minutes. It's usually a 20-minute, all-out effort. In World Cup, that usually determines the ranking for the next day. Usually for me, it's just fun and an extra race if you travel. Usually on a shorter course, laps are anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes long. Cross country courses are usually 18 minutes to 25 minutes long. Usually, they try to get an hour to an hour and 15 minute race.
Q: So short track is a sprint and cross country is a little more of an endurance event?
Harrington: Exactly
Q: How did you get involved with the Bear National Team?
Harrington: Last year, 2022, at nationals, I placed third. That kind of got me on the radar. I went to Arkansas last year for a bigger national level race. I branched out of New England, where I was racing forever
I met the [Bear] team manager, and I applied for the team and got on. I'm one of five in my age group that got accepted all throughout America.
The team started in November, and it's been November until now. Applications usually go out in August and September.
Q: So what's involved with being part of the team? I'm guessing there's a sponsorship aspect?
Harrington: We're sponsored by a variety of brands throughout the U.S. Our bike brand is Trek. Nutrition is Gu. As an athlete you get coupon codes and discounts
You get overall support from the team because the team is at the races. When at the races, you have a mechanic and people to help you in the race. Team support at the races is probably the most helpful part of being on the team.
And you get the team environment. When I went out to Montana, I stayed with my fellow racers in team housing.
Q: Do you get coaching?
Harrington: Every individual athlete picks the coach they want to work with. There are kids from 15 different states, and usually kids close to one another can train. I'm the only one from New England. I think the closet is North Carolina.
I have training buddies here I ride with and my main coach is in Connecticut.
The team bonding [with Bear] and all that stuff comes from team dinners, hanging out in team housing at the races.
Q: Who is your coach in Connecticut?
Harrington: I started with Neal Burton in January of this year. He is a full-time coach. Has a business, MTB Burton Coaching. I have an app where he uploads workouts in there, and I call or give him feedback based on that.
Q: Plus you still have a team locally?
Harrington: I just graduated high school, but my high school team was the Shire Shredders. We practice Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the spring. And outside the Shredders, we always trained with that same group, too. There was a group of five of us who head out and do whatever, ride wherever we need to.
The Berkshires has a lot of spots. We're never bored.
Q: Where do you train locally?
Harrington: October Mountain … Kennedy Park [in Lenox], Pittsfield State Forest is a good one to go to. I haven't been to Greylock Glen yet. Maybe I'll do that this week.
Q: Do you choose the areas you train based on what you know about the courses for the upcoming competition?
Harrington: If a course is super hilly, I might do more hills that week. We do that. The big races this year are Nationals and Worlds, and we were using a lot of the races going into nationals as training races. Every course is different.
Q: Does it increase your comfort level going into the Worlds knowing that you will be competing with your teammates from Bear?
Harrington: The three girls named to [USA Cycling] girls team are all on Bear. We've been at the top, close to each other all season since April. It's kind of cool to be named to the team with them. I think that knowing that there are seven of us on Bear going in different age groups will help. I think we've been through every race together. To be able to race with them and know I have some of the best competition in North America and the world to race against throughout my season, I feel comfortable.
And I have knowledge going into Worlds that I'm going with two of my teammates who are best in North America.
Q: What do you know about the venue in Scotland?
Harrington: I've a couple of videos on it. Usually don't put too, too much out before the competition. We were actually talking last night about tire choices and things like that — extra spare parts you need to bring. I think the course is a long sustained climb and then downhill. I think there are two longer climbs. It's 3.2 kilometers per lap, I think, so a very short loop. I think there is 115 meters of elevation per lap.
Q: Is that something you're more comfortable with training in the Berkshires?
Harrington: I'm super thankful for the hills around here. Some people don't have the hills we do. I think I'm a strong climber so I don't mind climbing on the course.
You mentioned in passing before that you've been doing this forever. When did you get started?
I started mountain biking racing on our local Springside Park Berkshire Mountain Bike Training Series every Tuesday night in summer. In the eighth grade, I started in the New England Youth Cycling League with the Shire Shredders. I raced with them for three years and then went to a couple of national level races [in spring of her junior year in high school].
Q: What was that like?
Harrington: I was very intimidated in Arkansas. I think going there — not having team support, just going from my local club — it was a big step. But it was great to see the competition race and I think I surprised myself a little with the competition. I think I've worked my way from there.
Q: What's been your best finish?
Harrington: Placement wise, I think I got first in Tennessee in March at the end of March. ... It was a good way to start the season. That was the earliest I've ever raced. I think we still had snow on the ground here. It was good to go out, race, see where I was to start.
Q: Are you going to be able to continue in both your sports long term or at some point will you have to make a choice? Is there a fall season for mountain biking?
Harrington: Mountain biking is usually in the spring and summer months. … In high school, I ran cross country in the fall, played hockey in the winter and biked in the spring. This year, not playing hockey, I will have more time to get a base in for the spring.
I'm not running indoor or outdoor track. The coaching staff, team and everyone [at Stonehill] is really supportive of me competing in mountain biking. That was a big part of finding the right college, making sure the running program is something that could allow me to run and be supportive of biking in the spring.
Tags: bicycling, mountain biking, Q&A,
