brad.spiegel@waylandpost.org
A couple of years ago, after incessantly asking to harness that energy into running track, her parents relented and enrolled her in the Boston Lions Track Club. From there, the girl who couldn’t sit still and constantly challenged friends and family to races learned how to really run. And success has followed.
Franklyn, a fifth-grade METCO student at Claypit Hill Elementary, currently has the fastest times for her age in the state in both the 400 meters (1:00) and 800 meters (2:21).
Her success isn’t limited to Massachusetts. She became an All-American in the 800 at the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Championships in Savannah, Ga., in July 2025. In July 2025, she traveled to Houston where she competed in the AAU Junior Olympic Games to earn Junior Olympian status with a second-place finish in the same event after qualifying in both district and regional meets.
“It’s a major accomplishment,” said Tomorrow Peeples-Taylor, Boston Lions Track Club coach and founder. “I have a couple of All-Americans as young as seven years old, so I understand what it takes to reach that level early. Trinity earning those honors places her among the top athletes in the country.”
Trinity wasn’t interested in running just because she had a lot of energy. It literally runs in her family, as her father, mother, sisters, and grandmother all ran track at some point in their lives.
“Since I saw that [my family] all ran, I was always like, I want to do it,” she said. “Everyone in my family — my cousins, too — would race down to the store and be running all of the time. So I’ve been really running my entire life, technically.”
Her dad, Nigel, said he enjoys his daughter’s success, but the travel (which has also included meets in New York, Connecticut, and Maryland, to name a few) has opened other opportunities.
“Running and going to meets has opened her eyes to see different places, different people, and different cultures,” he said. “I think this has been a good thing for Trinity.”
There are a lot of fast kids at Trinity’s age, but it takes discipline and commitment to rise to the next level as she has. She practices four to five days a week for up to two hours a day. And she’s a great learner, because taking advice is paramount in becoming the fastest.
Coaching approach
“We always look for potential in our athletes, and Trinity showed signs early on that she could be special,” Peeples-Taylor said. “So I wasn’t surprised by Trinity’s rapid elevation because of my coaching approach… We focus on structure, discipline, and preparation, and when an athlete commits to this process, results come. Trinity brought that into the system early, and success is a direct reflection of that commitment and the standards we uphold as a program.”
Trinity has learned to run with power — pumping her arms, making sure her body is straight and having the correct form — and not just rely on her natural speed.
”I feel like I’m stronger when I’m running,” she said. “I can run for five miles now, so it’s not just short distances anymore.”
Despite her success and fame at Claypit, there are still some at the school who think they’re faster than she is. But while there’s no official “fastest student at the school,” it’s safe to assume Trinity can take on, and beat, all challengers.
“I’ve been beating the kids since kindergarten, first grade,” Trinity said. After a race, “they were always like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’”
