For past four years, Jordan Hasay (pictured right by Mark Smith), a senior at Mission Preparatory High School in San Louis Obispo, CA, has been the face of American high school distance running. After all, her credentials are endless: 2-time Footlocker National Champion, 4-time Footlocker West Regional Champion, 4-time California State Cross Country Champion, American High School Record holder in the 1500m, US #2 All-Time in the 3200m, and USATF Junior Olympics youth record holder in both the 1500m and 3000m.
Yet with all her accolades, Jordan Hasay still feels she has not yet reached her full potential. With more records to break and races to win, the 17-year-old high school senior still has improvement within reach during her last semester of high school. Furthermore, she recognizes that high school running provides us only a glimpse of the Jordan Hasay of four years from now.
“I’m really excited for college. I think that I will be running so much better because of how excited I have been and that I will be running with more people,” Hasay said. “It will help to train alongside others, since most of my training is currently on my own.” Hasay feels that the opportunity of training with national-caliber athletes will contribute to her learning process. “I’m not even overly concerned about my freshman year right now. I know I will be running with an excellent group and as long as everything falls into place for 2012, then I will be happy. I’m just continuing along the progression that will prepare me for the next Olympics.”
It’s not simply intense training that has gotten Hasay to this level, but rather training very smartly and knowing when to hold back when necessary. “My goal is to be one of the better U.S. distance runners of the future,” Hasay said. “My coach has done a great job of slowly building my training, keeping in mind my aspirations for the future.” Furthermore, Hasay feels that a critical part of her improvement is attributable to allowing her speed and strength to develop naturally, and not hammering every day of training. “I haven’t gotten any major injuries, which I feel is a major part of my progression.”
Since Hasay continually impresses us nearly every race, an immense amount of pressure is put on Hasay’s back every time she approaches the starting line. “Sometimes it’s pretty difficult because every time I go out and run, people expect me to break a record. And obviously, I won’t be fortunate enough to do that every single race,” Hasay said. But it’s Hasay’s extreme optimism that keeps her running in the right direction. “I try to block out distractions, remember what my coach says, and concentrate on my own goals for each race.”
In doing so, Hasay realizes that even she is not perfect when it comes to distance running. “It’s a really tough sport and I always have to work hard,” Hasay said. “I have just been blessed with this gift. I see it as my beauty to use it and train with it to the best of my ability each day.” Hasay in fact claims to not be a competitive person herself, but it is an obligation to maximize her talents that anchors her motivations for success.
Hasay feels that running has not just introduced her to a sport, but rather to a way of life. When I asked Hasay about how her running experience has developed her as an individual, she responded: “Running has helped me in all areas of my life. It taught me sportsmanship and being honest and the need to work my hardest in everything I do. I apply my setbacks in running to any problem I come across in life. Running has taught me to keep moving forward and to keep reaching for my goals.”
Currently, Hasay is not necessarily interested in huge PRs, claiming that she is thankful for improving throughout her entire high school career. The consistency of every year and the gradual dropping of times are more important to Hasay, since this is a more promising approach when considering her long-term goals. “Don’t get too greedy with your goals,” Hasay said. “Stick to your plan each year and hopefully that patience will bring about more PRs.”
This weekend, Hasay will join the nation’s finest high school runners for the 2009 Arcadia Invitational. Despite an off-week of training, Hasay still has lofty goals for her 3200m race. “I am hoping to go under 10 [minutes], but I just want to race the competition and do my best to win,” Hasay said. Last year, Chris Derrick was under the weather himself, but nonetheless blazed to a 13:55 5k on the track: Hasay, therefore, feels that an exceptional performance under suitable weather is a possibility. Hasay won the Arcadia Invitational 3200m last spring in 10:03, but hopes to break the 10-minte barrier this time and possibly make a run for the national record of 9:48. “The crowd is always good at Arcadia, so that should help me a lot,” Hasay said.
Certainly the crowd has helped Hasay in the past, such as at the 2008 US Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, where, in the midst of the crowd chanting “Come to Oregon,” she ran an amazing 4:14 for 1500m. That was not only a High School Record, but was good enough to put her in 10th place overall among all Olympic trialists, just a few seconds from qualifying for the Olympics – something that is rarely achieved by a high school runner.
The warm reception that Hasay received at the University of Oregon during the Olympic Trials apparently had quite an impact on this tremendously gifted athlete. In a few months, Hasay will be joining the University of Oregon’s storied Track & Field team and will have a chance to build on her earlier success at Hayward Field.
Jordan Hasay’s PRs:
1500m – 4:14.50 (US #1 All-time)
1600m – 4:39.13 (US #3 All-time)
3000m – 9:19.60 (US #8 All-time)
3200m – 9:52.13 (US #2 All-time)
