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Remember the names of Solo and Legacy Lewis. They are the sister team that sets the high standard of excellence that defines the Boston Lions Track Club. They are coached by Tomorrow Peeples-Taylor, who formed the Lions Track Club in 2018 in memory of her late father, Edward Hudson.
Tomorrow, who started running at age 3, won the Mayor’s Cup race at age 11. Younger brother Damion would win the Mayor’s Cup at age 10.
“My father taught his children to run. His training methods have become a way of life for me,” said Peeples-Taylor
When she was a child, doctors told her parents that she may not walk. “That was all my parents needed to hear. It inspired them to prove the doctors wrong,” she said. “I am the product of the determination of my parents, [my mother, Catherine, and father, Edward], who taught their children to run. …”
Peeples-Taylor added, “The Boston Chargers Track Club would gain tremendous success while sending hundreds of young people to successful track careers. Part of that success came when my sister Latiffa and brother Damion ran track in Japan, meeting famed Olympian Jackie Joyner Kersey. That was just one of the many success stories that came from the Boston Chargers Track Club.”
The legacy of the Chargers produced the love of running for Tomorrow. But she said, “I didn’t think that I had the business acumen to start my own track team. My husband, Charles, believed that I could do it. It was his faith in me that pushed me to build the Lions Track Club into what it is today — a formidable organization that is producing championship runners in just six years of existence. I have followed the lessons of my parents — hard work, discipline, and tough love — in building the Lions Track Club. We teach our athletes to stand on their own, on and off the field of competition. It helps them to focus and compete in high-level events.”
Solo Lewis on the podium with her trophy PHOTO: Tomorrow Peeples-Taylor
The Lewis sisters, Solo, 10, and Legacy, 5, are two of the team’s star runners. Solo won the Mayor’s Cup race in the 10-and-under division. Legacy captured the eight-and-under division of the celebrated one-and-a-half mile run through Franklin Park.
The Lewis sisters, along with the strong effort of Trinity Franklin, helped deliver the first team title at the event for the Lions Track Club.
“We are a team of 22 members, one of the smallest around. But we come to compete every time we go into competition,” said Peeples-Taylor.
Proof of that statement comes from record-setting performances by Solo at the 2023 and 2024 Junior National Track events. Gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400 in 2023 were backed up by three medals, gold medals in the 200 and 400, along with a silver in the 800, in this year’s Junior Nationals, making Solo Lewis one of the top youth runners in the United States.photo: Tomorrow Peeples-Taylor
The Mayors Cup 10 and under 1st place trophy PHOTO: Tomorrow Peeples-Taylor
According to Steve Vaitones, the U.S.A. Track and Field managing director, the Mayor’s Cup race was started in 1990 by legendary track coach Bill Squires with only nine runners almost all of whom were adults. “The real active part of promoting the world’s cross-country championships was held at Franklin Park in March of 1992,” he said. Vaitones also pointed out that it was going to be a one-off race, “but USA Track and Field New England kept that going and has run it every year since.”
The run is reaching national acclaim for all to see. Local attention on the home front is just mixed. Some local officials were unable to attend due to tight schedules.
“I remember the pride I felt when Mayor Ray Flynn placed the winner’s medal around my neck so many years ago,” she said. “I wish that Solo and Legacy Lewis could have that feeling.”
Like every small organization of this type, the Lions Track Club struggles to provide equipment such as running shoes and jerseys for its young athletes. “We make ends meet, but it isn’t easy. We could use support from the community and the business world,” said Peeples-Taylor.
“But no matter what obstacles we face, we will press on. I am grateful for the support of the Boston Afterschool and Beyond program and others, but we can always use more help. We currently train at the Reggie Lewis Track facility. But, as of December 1, due to a lack of funding, we will have to train outdoors for the winter months. That is a very difficult task for our program, which has children as young as three years old,” she added.
“This endeavor is too important for our young athletes, like 4-year-old Shine Lewis, the brother of Solo and Legacy, who holds the title of Captain of the five-and-under team. He, like every member of this team, is that important,” said Peeples-Taylor.
For more information about the Boston Lions Track Club, contact Tomorrow Peeples-Taylor at BostonLionsTrackClub@gmail.com.
