Just three days after obliterating her first national record in the 5,000 meters, Jane Hedengren achieved another historic mark. On March 16, the senior from Provo, Utah, broke the high school record in the mile, clocking 4:26.14 at Nike Indoor Nationals.
During the final day of competition in New York City, Hedengren stunned the field with a dominant performance at The Armory. Running solo for the majority of the race, the 18-year-old pulled away early with a 2:12 split at 800 meters. She remained consistent with her pacing, closing the final 200 meters in a blazing 33.5 seconds.
Hedengren’s winning time improved on the previous record (4:27.97) set by Sadie Engelhardt at the Millrose Games in February. The 18-year-old from Ventura, California, competed against professionals to break the long-standing mark (4:28.25) set by Mary Cain at the same event in 2013. On Sunday, Hedengren finished 14 seconds ahead of runner-up Zariel Macchia of Mastic Beach, New York. She also lowered her personal best by 10 seconds.
“I just wanted to keep it hard the whole time,” Hedengren said on the RunnerSpace broadcast. “Sometimes you can let up on the pace a bit and not realize it, so I really wanted to keep my foot on the gas and come through with a really hard effort.”
The mile follows Hedengren’s incredible performance in the 5,000 meters on Thursday night, when she broke the indoor and outdoor high school records in the event. Her winning time of 15:13.26 also shattered the American junior (U20) record.
After the race on Sunday, Hedengren, who is committed to run for Brigham Young University in the fall, said she hoped to set the 5,000-meter record, but the mile came as a surprise. “I’m just stoked, lots of momentum going forward.”
The back-to-back victories build on a breakthrough year for the Timpview High School standout. In December, Hedengren set a new course record on the grass while winning Nike Cross Nationals. At the Simplot Games in February, she clocked 9:37.50 in the 3200 meters, becoming the second-fastest athlete on the high school all-time list in the indoor 2 mile.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
