Runner Sets Record

Late last month, runner Heather MacLean clocked a 4:17.01 indoor mile in the Last Chance Qualifier in Boston. Her record was good enough to give her the second fastest time of any American (six-tenths of a second off the record). Not only was her time a personal best, but also the fourth best in the world.

MacLean owns the American record in the 1500 meter indoors as well. “The 1500 is probably her best race,” her uncle David MacLean said. Heather started her track journey at the same Peabody High School in Massachusetts that her uncle attended, “and it all worked out pretty well,” he added.

David, who has spent the last 30-plus years in Hernando County, has won multiple state championships and set several of his own records at Peabody High School, and some of his records still stand to this day. As fate would have it, one of David’s former school friends, Phil Sheridan, later became the athletic director during Heather’s time there. While her uncle wasn’t directly responsible for her joining the sport, David noted that Sheridan “was kind of pushing her to join the track team.”

Serendipitously, Heather also had a friend who ran track for the school and worked at the same Market Basket as her. As her uncle said, the track star-to-be figured that she could carpool with her friend to her job at the New England-based supermarket chain, and the rest is history. It turned out that Heather was more than proficient at the sport, earning a full-ride scholarship to the University of Massachusetts. While David’s running career would end with a broken femur while attending Northeastern University on a track scholarship, Heather would manage to bounce back from her injuries and continue to set records.

Her uncle was “really proud” of Heather’s accomplishments in college. Under the tutelage of head coach Julie LaFreniere, who is about to celebrate 40 years of coaching at UMass, Heather gained national recognition and accolades before matriculating from the university and signing a deal with New Balance.

After signing with the Boston-based sneaker company, Heather’s performances would eventually see the runner qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 1500 meters. She did not make the finals, but David feels that result may have been a product of the wounds she was dealing with at the time. According to David, injuries also contributed to her missing the 2024 Olympics altogether. The elder MacLean feels 2025 is the first year that she may be truly injury-free.

Heather’s work is not done. She is set to compete in the World Indoor Championships from March 21 through March 23 in China. This competition will give the young runner the opportunity to become internationally recognized as one of the greatest in the world.

David has “vigorously” supported Heather in all endeavors since her days in college and has been on hand for as many of her meets as possible. He has often posted about her exploits on social media platforms with the hashtag #thisisyourdamyear since January. The rest of Heather’s family have also been extremely supportive of the runner.

“I was really excited about my time and that’s giving me a lot of confidence going into the World Championships and the rest of the year!” Heather stated.