Photo Credit: Alison Markham/Alabama MileSplit
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Since its inception in 2020, the RunningLane Cross Country Championships have seen hundreds of high school stars make the trip down to Huntsville, Ala.
In 2020, Science Hill (Tenn.) superstar Jenna Hutchins broke the national record, stopping the clock at 15:58.4. A year later, Newbury Park's (Calif.) Colin Sahlman broke the national record in a historically fast race, running 14:03.29.
Over the last four years, there has been plenty of fast racing at John Hunt Park, but we've noticed a trend of athletes using breakout performances at RunningLane as a stepping stone before winning national titles and collecting postseason accolades.
In 2022, Olympus (Utah) junior JoJo Jourdon finished third at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships on a rain-soaked course. Even in the tough conditions, Jourdon ran a new lifetime best and gained valuable championship-racing experience.
Photo Credit: Bobby Reyes/Colorado MileSplit
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A year later, Jourdon went 5-2 during his senior campaign, winning a state title as well as a national title at Nike Cross Nationals.
Jourdon credited his performance and experience at RunningLane for giving him more self-assurance as a runner.
In an interview with MileSplit days after his big win, Jourdon walked us through that mindset.
"Last year, I didn't think I would be in contention to win RunningLane," Jourdon said. "So when [Steven West, last year's champion] made his move, I doubted myself if I could go with him. This year, I had so much confidence heading into NXN that I trusted myself to make the right moves."
The following spring, Jourdon went on to become the 21st high schooler to break the four-minute barrier in the mile, also winning another state title on the track.
In addition to Jourdon, athletes like Brebeuf Jesuit Prep's (Ind.) Cameron Todd and Air Academy's (Col.) Bethany Michalak both utilized their experience from the 2021 edition of RunningLane.
Todd went on to finish runner-up at NXN in 2022, also notching a pair of top-10 performances at Champs/Foot Locker. Michalak went from 10th at RunningLane as a sophomore to third and second at NXN in her final two years.
Competing at RunningLane provides more than just the opportunity for a fast time, but the chance to gain championship racing experience.