ConVal cross-country runner William Simard is in the midst of a record-breaking senior season. Simard, of Francestown, has been at the head of the pack for the Cougars for some time now, and he made waves around the New Hampshire cross-country community by breaking the 41-year-old course record at Sanborn’s Jamie Martin Invitational on Sept. 3.

ConVal head coach Spencer Fetrow said he told Simard about the course record of 15:30, set way back in 1983 by Scott Clark of Gilford, just before the race.

“I jokingly told him that my coaching advice was that he should go run a 15:29,” Fetrow said. “Maybe he ran 15:28 to prove to me that I set the bar too low. Regardless, it was a great way for him to start the season.”

Simard said the conditions at Sanborn were perfect for him – flat, a mile of pavement, a beautiful warm day and a later start time.

“It catered well to my strengths,” Simard said.

The senior was cruising to a first-place finish, well ahead of his closest competitor, when he got an eye on the clock and realized the record was within reach.

“With 800 to go, I was like ‘Oh, I might have this,’” Simard said. “When I saw the clock at 15:17, I thought “I’ve got to throw in a 10-meter surge to get there, which I did. And then I kind of just coasted in.”

Thousands of runners have crossed the finish line at Sanborn since 1983, but none faster than Simard.

“A number of people through the years have come close,” Sanborn head coach Scott Maxwell said, citing Timberlane/University of Wisconsin runner Jason Vanderhoof’s 15:37 in 1995, Pelham/Providence College runner Patrick Moulton’s 15:32 in 2000, and Jared Khalil of Sanborn’s 15:41 in 2021.

That’s elite company for a kid who didn’t start running cross-country until his sophomore year of high school.

“There are plenty of naturally gifted runners and there are plenty of hard-working runners,” Fetrow said. “William is both, and that’s what makes him so special.”

Indeed, Simard’s work ethic has been the key to his senior-season leap. He shaved more than a minute off his previous year’s finish at the Jamie Martin Invitational thanks to an off-season dedicated to running more than he ever had before, a grueling workout regimen and an effort given to mastering the mental side of distance running.

“I’ve gotten a lot fitter, I’ve gotten a lot better,” Simard said. “I’m night and day better than I was in terms of being a really, really strong runner. But then also I think mentally I can handle a lot more...It’s understanding that it’s going to hurt, and that no matter what, it’s going to hurt. So going in understanding that it’s going to be a painful experience definitely sets you up better.”

Simard’s running prowess has put him far ahead of his ConVal teammates, which means he doesn’t have the benefit of a training partner or group that can keep pace with him during practice. Nevertheless, in his senior season, he’s taken the responsibility of captainship and community to heart.

“This year, we talked about him potentially being a captain and how that would mean giving up some of his independence to help other racers,” Fetrow said. “He said he was willing to make that sacrifice and, thus far, he’s been great about leading warmups and working one-on-one with other runners on the team; his captainship is fostering a more calculated and dedicated approach to the season from other runners and I appreciate that he’s able to inspire that sort of change.”

Simard said he hopes to lead his younger teammates by example and set up the Cougars with a crop of strong runners for years to come. What example he sets on the course this season is yet to be determined, but it looks promising. Simard said his Jamie Martin Invitational win was probably the biggest win of his career and he’s got his sights set on even bigger goals. Last year, he finished 11th in the Division II championships at Manchester and then sped to sixth at the Meet of Champions, held at the flatter Alvirne course that, like Sanborn, plays to the senior’s strengths. He’d ultimately finish 64th at the New England Championships. This fall, he hopes to go even further, clock a sub-15-minute finish, and make enough noise at the New England Championships to potentially get a spot in the New Balance or Nike national races.

“Win states, win my division, win MOCs and then see what happens in New Englands,” Simard said. “I think getting top five in New Englands would be really cool – but I would run to win. Why wouldn’t I?”