Commitment to running results in Marathon entry for Saugus’ Moriello

Being the father of two active young boys keeps Mike Moriello of Saugus running, but not in the way you might think.The former Saugus High hockey star had always been into sports, but as he got a little older and started a family, the demands of work and parenting made it increasingly difficult to stay as physically active as he would have liked.”With family and little kids, it got very busy. I wasn’t able to play sports or exercise. I put on a little weight ? I started realizing I wasn’t in the best of shape, like I used to be,” Moriello said.The answer for Moriello was running. First it was just for exercise, but after a while, he started doing some road races. The 5Ks became 10Ks, and the 10Ks became a half-marathon. On Monday, he’ll kick it up a notch or two, or three, when he runs his first Boston Marathon.”There’s no better (marathon) in the world than the Boston Marathon,” Moriello said. “It’s such a prestigious, historic race and it’s right here (in Boston).”Training for the race has been a challenge. Like three generations of Moriellos before him, including his father, George, and late uncle, Ted (the former Saugus High girls soccer coach who died of cancer last fall), the 34-year-old spends his days running the family business, George’s barbershop. He’s also a Saugus Youth Hockey coach and he’s involved in the new Saugus Youth Lacrosse league.”With this terrible spring, it’s been hard to squeeze in runs,” Moriello said. “Sometimes I run late at night, when the kids go to bed, and sometimes it’s early in the morning. A lot of runners have a regular routine. I run whenever I can get a free second to myself.”Although Moriello’s sons are still young (Jaiden is six and Jesse is four), the recently inducted Saugus High Athletic Hall of Famer said he’s looking forward to being involved in their youth sports activities.”Being inducted into the Saugus High Athletic Hall of Fame was an honor, but it also kind of made me feel old. I didn’t like saying I used to be an athlete. I wanted to prove to them (his sons) and myself that I still am an athlete,” Moriello said, adding that his boys and his wife, Tanya, have been very supportive of his efforts.