By James R. Lowell Healthy Lion reporters | Lowell Elementary physical education teacher Mr. Gagliardi is a runner who uses historic battlefield trail runs to benefit his physical and mental health. Healthy Lion reporters interviewed Mr. G about using green spaces for his training.
Mr. G is an elite masters runner. To qualify as an elite masters runner, he said, you must be over the age of 40 (masters) and have an age-graded score of 80 points or higher. In his most recent run, the 2024 Broad Street Run, he placed third, with a time of 54 minutes, which resulted in an age-graded score of 86.49.
Mr. G has been running in competitions since the fourth grade.
He told the Healthy Lion that he has completed 84 races in his running career. Though he loves racing, he says, “I get far more excited about reaching personal-best race times at a variety of distances. For example, when I was 27 years old, my fastest half marathon was 1 hour, 22 minutes and 23 seconds. Last September, I ran that same distance in 1:12:40, almost 10 minutes faster than my personal best from almost 20 years ago.”
Mr. G trains by running at Sandy Hollow Heritage Park and Brinton Run Preserve. Both parks are within running distance of his house. The parks have open green fields, running trails, animals, a pond, and trees. Mr. G says he enjoys going to these trails to get in touch with nature while relieving stress and training for his runs. He prefers to run on the grass because it is less injury-prone for him.
During the school year, Mr. G. runs the trails after work. Running “helps me feel focused and energized. Only towards the end am I tired because I’ve been running for a bit,” he said.
Mr. G enjoys the benefits of running in green spaces, areas of nature filled with plants and trees. According to “Go Out and Play,” an article published by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, there are emotional and physical benefits to green spaces. They include reducing stress, increasing memory, improving mood, lowering blood pressure, increasing movement, and promoting a healthy body weight.
Mr. G noted that exercise is anything that keeps your body moving. You don’t have to run as he does. You can walk or jog. So the next time you want to run or exercise, go outside to green spaces and enjoy nature.
Illustration by Chase, fourth grade, James Logan E.S., 2021–22.
