For Colby Crear, nothing matches the exhilaration of the event many consider the most grueling in all of high school track — the 300-meter hurdles.
And no one in the history of our Eagle-Tribune area has run that race faster.
“I just love the rush and the mental aspect of hurdling,” said Crear. “It forces you to think while going over every hurdle, while still making sure to run full speed. In the 300 hurdles, you have to make sure your strides and steps are perfect in between the hurdles. It is very rewarding to embrace the 300 hurdles. It is very difficult, so after a good race, it feels amazing to know you fought through it.”
The Pelham High senior has firmly solidified himself as one of the greatest hurdlers in the history of the region.
Earlier this spring, Crear broke The Eagle-Tribune area all-time record in the 300 hurdles (automatic timed) with a 38.01, besting the previous mark set by late Central Catholic legend Niall Murphy (38.21) in 1998.
Then, at Sunday’s Division III Championship, Crear won the 110-meter hurdles with a 14.12 — the fourth fastest time in Eagle-Tribune area history. He trails just a trio of former superstars, Methuen’s Jeff Baker (13.87 in 1985), Lawrence’s Jordan Volquez (13.94 in 2021) and North Andover’s Erick Duffy (14.10 in 2017).
On Sunday, Crear will look to repeat as 300 hurdles champion and add a 110 hurdles title to his resume at the New Hampshire Meet of Champions track meet at Oyster River High School (Durham, N.H.)
He is the top seed in both events for the second straight season.
“I’m very excited for Meet of Champions on Sunday,” said Crear, who led the Pythons to their first Division III title in program history last Sunday. “I’ve been looking forward to it all season. It would mean a lot to be a repeat champion in the 300 hurdles. During my sophomore year, winning seemed impossible, so doing it twice would show me how far I’ve come.
“And winning in both hurdles would be amazing. I was the top seed in both last year, but only came out winning the 300 hurdles. Winning both this year would finally top off my state champion goals.”
Despite his record-setting career — which includes becoming the first Pelham athlete to earn Eagle-Tribune track Athlete of the Year this past winter after winning the Division II title in the 55-meter hurdles — it took time for Crear to fall in love with hurdles.
“I had always wanted to run track, but couldn’t until the sixth grade,” he said. “My mother was a hurdler, so she also wanted me to try it. At first I didn’t like hurdles, so I didn’t start really hurdling until the spring of my sophomore year. The reason I started was because my sister (Chloe Crear) was a state champion (in the 300 hurdles in 2023) and my coaches wanted me to try it out. I’m glad I listened.”
The University of New Hampshire-bound Crear is now ready for the chance to pursue a pair of gold medals at Meet of Champions — which he calls a far more challenging task than his dual role the last two falls as both a standout for the Pelham soccer team, and kicker for the Pythons football team that won the Division II title in 2023 and returned to the title game in 2024.
“Juggling events in track is way harder than juggling soccer and football,” said Crear, who is also tied for third in the area in the high jump (6-2). “Multiple events in track is a lot on you physically and emotionally and makes your body and mind very tired.
“When I was doing both soccer and football, it was easier due to the timing. My junior year I kicked for the whole football season and I only had to miss one game because of soccer. This year, I only kicked in the playoffs due to an injury. It was a little tiring, but not nearly as physically draining as doing three or four hard track events in one day.”
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