Colts Neck senior overcomes adversity to become talented runner
COLTS NECK, N.J. — Colts Neck High senior, Joey Allegro, is an accomplished runner for both the Cougar’s cross country team and the indoor and outdoor track teams. He has a lot to be proud of when you think about how much he has overcome. Many people don’t know that during the first 18 months of his life Allegro couldn’t even walk or talk.
“You know I admire his work ethic most of all. When he couldn’t walk or talk, he did whatever he had to to keep up with us including crawling backwards. He would crawl ridiculously fast, even faster than the rest of the family could walk.” says Dad, Joe Allegro Jr.
After countless doctor’s appointments with various specialists, he was diagnosed with an equilibrium problem. Barely a toddler, he had surgery to remove his adenoids which fixed the problem. Allegro Jr. says his son almost immediately began walking and speaking once he had the surgery. Though he admits that even now he isn’t the most coordinated kid, making his achievements with track even more impressive.
“Even with his coordination problems he still goes out there and gets it done.”
Allegro began running for the middle school track team when he was in sixth grade. While he showed talent at that level, it wasn’t until he got to high school that his coach, Jim Schlentz, really pushed him to reach his potential.
When asked who has had the most impact on his running career, Allegro didn’t hesitate to answer. “Definitely Coach Schlentz. When I started high school, I ran a 6:10 mile and now I am down to 4.35 in the 1600 meter.”
As a freshman and sophomore Allegro played football for the Cougars in the fall months. He ran both indoor and outdoor track during the winter and spring. After two years of not playing much for the football team, Coach Schlentz convinced him to try the cross-country team in the fall of his junior year and he has continued to participate this fall. Allegro isn’t sorry he made the switch. He finished in the top five for his team as a junior.
While Allegro enjoys competing with the cross-county team, his best work is as a miler. He runs in both the 800 and 1600 meters. In May of 2021, he reached his best time of 2.05 in the 800m. In June of 2021, he achieved his best time of 4.35 in the 1600m. He credits Coach Schlentz with helping him reach those times.
“In my first year with him, he got me down a full minute. In my second year, he got me down another 20 seconds, and in my third year he got me down another 20 seconds. He’s very supportive. He’s a huge miler coach and we run a lot of miles. He’s very much a pat yourself on the back coach, which is good.”
Allegro Jr. says his son is outside running every day no matter what the conditions are, even on the coldest and snowiest of days. When Allegro was a second grader playing baseball, he was upset about a big game his team had lost. Allegro Jr. was one of the coaches. “I told him, you want to win then you have to push yourself and train yourself to achieve. He’s done that with running. The kid runs outdoors in snowstorms!”
Allegro runs 50 to 55 miles a week even when on vacation.
Last June the Cougars travelled to Oregon University to participate in the Outdoor Nationals presented by Nike. The meet, held at Hayward Field, hosted a few thousand athletes from around the country. Although the team didn’t finish as well as they had hoped, coming in 18th out of 23 teams, it was still a good learning experience. On December 4th the squad will travel to Huntsville, Alabama to race in the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. They hope to bring back a title as well as individual awards.
Before he wraps up his time at Colts Neck High School, Allegro would like to break two minutes in the 800m. “I’d like to make it to the NJSIAA Meet of Champions before I graduate. That’s my goal.” Allegro shares. Allegro, who is also a good student, is still weighing his options for college. He knows he will definitely run at the collegiate level all three seasons. Some of the schools that have grabbed his attention include Rowan University, Moravian College, and East Carolina University to name a few.
There is no doubt that wherever his next stop is, Allegro will continue to persevere and take pride in his training to accomplish great things.
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