To the man who:

1. Found faith in me when I refused to believe in myself
2. Continued to believe in me when I was performing poorly
3. Pushed me to the brink of the edge, keeping me hungry for improvement
4. Helped me find fuel in an empty tank
5. Gave me an amazing grandfather figure
6. Made me a distance runner
7. Taught me what a "PB" is
8. Did not even have to explain the difference from someone who is dedicated and a part-timer
9. Taught me what negative splits are and why they are critical in racing
10. Emphasized the importance of hills, Popsicles, and base miles
11. Established extremely successful athletes
12. Gave me a family from XCTF
13. Gave me purpose when I was at my lowest point in my life
14. Managed to bring together half of Woburn to tear our bodies apart in grueling races
15. Makes saying goodbye so difficult

“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” I, along with hundreds of others, have had the absolute privilege of being coached by one of the greatest men of all time. Freshman year, I ran the 55 meter race in indoor track, (LOL @ THIS). One day, this little, older man in an orange baseball cap, black polo shirt, washed out jeans, and a clipboard in hand came up to me and said something along the lines of “Why are you running this race” or “What the heck are you doing” (Coach likes his runners “distance"). By the time of the next indoor season, I was running sub-6:30 in the 1600 meter race. Why? How? Because of Coach O’Connor. Not a huge deal, but at the time it was a big deal for someone like me who struggled with an eating disorder and extremely low self-esteem.

As a few years passed by, and I was running my best times… even after a 7 week injury. This 7-week setback consisted of severe hip inflammation and a torn hip flexor. Of anyone and everyone I knew back then, he had the most faith in me. After the race of my life, senior year (December 2012) on the Harvard track, I kept myself from collapsing, despite the fact I passed 5 people on the final stretch. I wanted to fall down and forget about everything. Somehow, I saved it until after I hugged and thanked the man who helped create myself and work everything I worked towards for that moment.

As a collegiate student-athlete, I always made a point to give him a phone call; the excitement of joy in his voice is something I will never forget. During a nagging, persistent injury and doubts of running again, I began to write him a pretend letter, with no intention of sending it to him. However, I ended up mailing it to him. One day later, he emailed be back and said, “You made an old coach cry,” in addition to some of the greatest advice and motivation that keeps me going, even into my twenty second year. In my yearbook, he signed, "If running times could combine with an individual’s character, I truly believe you would be state champion.”

When I was little, I would tell people that I sprained my ankle or that I was sick so that I did not have to play tag. Now, if I run less than 5 miles in a day, I do not feel accomplished; I actually feel down on myself. Without the man who brought me such joy, life, and drive to run, why on earth would I be excited to spend $130 on running shoes so that I can train to race so fast that I may in fact puke. I remember once he told me that if I was not on the starting line sweating from the warm up, I would not be prepared. If I was not on the verge of passing out or puking in the final chute, I did not push myself enough. If I did not walk away from the finish line with a smile, then he did not do his job. I can honestly say that despite the horrific running faces I am notorious for smiling… always.

The news I woke up to this past weekend truly was a kick in the gut. The news was something I thought he would be invincible from. Why? Because he is Coach. Sometimes, I forgot to remember that he was human too. The passion of running of my hometown, including my own passion would be unheard of and nonexistent without his influence. The impact he had on so many people is nonetheless unbelievably mind blowing and immense; it will forever remain.

Thank you, Coach. Lacing up my sneakers will never be the same, nor would I want it to be. I vow to always crush PBs and set every goal for you. Thank you for helping me find myself. With your influence, I have become someone who I never knew I was capable of. Thank you for giving me a new life. You are an amazing role model, leader, an overall individual and so much more. I aspire to be at least half of the person you were. Now, you can run with ease and get in some nice O.Y.O base miles up in the sky on the clouds. The teams, towns, and friends here are now family because of you, please watch over us while you are flying high. I will see you again one day, but until then, I am going to keep running.