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PROVO — A Timpview High School senior is smashing records on the track and in the mud (and rain), and the running world is taking note.
Jane Hedengren, 18, was recently named USA Track and Field's Athlete of the Week after two back-to-back standout performances. On Nov. 23 at the Nike Cross Country Regionals Southwest in Mesa, Arizona, she ran the fastest 5K ever recorded in girls cross country history, finishing in 15:50.01. Just two weeks later, she set a new course record of 16:37.8 at the Nike Cross Nationals girls' championship race in Portland, Oregon — in the pouring rain.
The 6-foot-tall senior takes it all in stride, saying she always tries to make the best of the opportunities she's given.
"That was my first time at the NXN (Nike Cross Nationals) race, and I was super excited to be out there," she said. "I was just trying to approach the race with lots of belief and trying not to doubt because it was a special opportunity where I was feeling like myself again; that isn't something I'd had for a while. I was trying to make the most of it and run out there with gratitude, giving it the best shot on the day; that's just all anyone can ask for, especially with the conditions."
The odds were stacked against Hedengren because leading up to the regionals and nationals, she had encountered some health issues stemming from a concussion and some other nonrunning-related conditions. She said she was "not feeling like herself," but when the region meet came, things just fell into place.
Her dad, John Hedengren, said he isn't surprised with her performance. He said since she was little, she has always had both a natural ability to go the distance and the drive to rise to the top.
"The first time I knew she was going to be a good endurance athlete was when she would ride her bike alongside me during some of my early morning runs on the Provo River Trail when she was little," John Hedengren said. "I remember one particular run when she had just learned how to ride a bike, and I ran 8 miles pretty fast. She kept up with me the whole time, and I was like, 'Wow, OK, she's got the endurance but also the mentality to stick with something for a while.'"
All in the family
Running also runs in the family. John Hedengren was an All-American runner during his time as a BYU cross country athlete in the late 1990s, and her older brother Isaac Hedengren, is a current member of the BYU men's track and field team. Jane said that having older brothers and a dad who ran, has helped her to set the bar high.
"It's been pretty amazing to have these mentors in my family," Jane Hedengren said. "I have two older brothers and then my dad who have learned some of the lessons before me so I can bridge that gap and learn them a little bit faster. Also, it's kind of a blessing to have older brothers because I feel like as I've grown up, I've looked to my brothers for what 'fast' means. For a long time there, 'fast' was kind of defined by what it means to be fast as a guy, and it just really set the bar high for me. I try to have as few limitations as possible and reach for big goals."
Whatever the reasons for Jane Hedengren's ability to run fast, her coach, Jaimie Ribera, said that her ability to be a student of the sport is a main ingredient to her success.
"The amazing thing about Jane is obviously that she's extremely genetically gifted, but with that, she literally does everything she can to maximize her gifts," Ribera said. "She's constantly learning and is extremely humble and wants to listen to others. … She genuinely wants to make the sport a better place, herself better and her teammates better. The No. 1 priority is that we create a team where people are invested in each other and they want to work hard, and I think Jane's a big part of that. She really embodies that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it right."
With indoor and outdoor track seasons on the horizon, Jane Hedengren has many big goals ahead, including breaking her own 1- and 2-mile state records. She has also committed to run at BYU in the fall, joining many elite athletes and Olympians whom she says she's excited to run alongside.
The amazing thing about Jane is obviously that she's extremely genetically gifted, but with that, she literally does everything she can to maximize her gifts.
–Jaimie Ribera
To follow Jane Hedengren's running journey she can be found on Instagram @janehendengren.
