Hedengren Runs 4:23.50 Mile To Strip Five Seconds From Outdoor High School Record; Nauman Outkicks Josiah Tostenson To Run 3:58.65

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor 

Logan Hannigan-Downs Photo

RESULTS/VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS

ST. LOUIS - Jane Hedegren continued to cement her legacy as the fastest high school girls distance runner in U.S. history on Thursday night at the HOKA Festival of Miles. 

The graduate of Timpeview High in Utah ran a time of 4:23.50 and defeated her competition in the championship girls mile by 12 seconds in a cool, still, overcast conditions that were ideal for fast races on the track at St. Louis University High School. 

She broke the high school outdoor record by nearly five seconds. She ran nearly two seconds faster than any collegiate woman has run the mile outdoors. The time is also a U.S. U20 record and No. 3 on the all-time World U20 list. 

"I'm really stoked with it," Hedengren said. "In these races I'm trying to hit maximum effort and I've found that allows me to run the best time on the day. I'm just grateful for my body and the gift this is."

Hedengren ran six seconds faster than the professional women's race that followed, which was won by Christina Aragon of the Swoosh TC. Aragon outsprinted Krissy Gear of HOKA to break the tape in 4:29.38. 

Even Aragon was impressed by the teenager. 

"That's absolutely incredible," Aragon said of the Hedengren's race. "It's obviously unheard of. It's the first of its kind. She's running absolutely incredibly. I'm very excited to see what she does on the collegiate stage and the pro stage."

Hanne Thomsen of Montgomery CA ran No. 8 all-time 4:35.63. 

A competitive boys championship race produced two sub-four miles, with Iowa state champion Quentin Nauman closing in 54.7 to outlast Oregon's Josiah Tostenson, who split 55.8 for his final 440 yards.

Nauman, completed an historic triple at the Iowa state meet two weeks ago, broke Connor Burns' junior class national record with a finish time of 3:58.65. Tostenson, who finished in an outdoor best 3:59.00, went through commencement ceremonies at Crater High in Oregon on Wednesday night, along with teammate Tayvon Kitchen, who delivered the valedictorian speech. 

Tostenson and Kitchen were on a 5 a.m. flight and traveled much of the day ahead of the race. 

The boys race took a turn when the intitial gun went off and the crowd of colliding bodies sent Matthew Shelly from Arkansas to the ground with an apparent shoulder injury. 

After a re-start, the field was less aggressive off the line and no one went with pacer Derek Holdsworth for the tempo that would have brought half a dozen or more runners through three laps at sub-four pace. 

As it was, the leaders hit the bell at 3:03. 

Nauman used a burst at 200 meters to move up to the front around the final curve. Tostenson tried to stick with him. 

"In that moment I felt like God really did it and ... insane,man, " Nauman said. "That (last 50) was the probably one of the hardest times I ever ran. My legs felt really heavy and I just had to fight, fight, fight, move your arms, go."

TJ Hansen finished third in 4:00.69 and Canadian Robin Lefebvre was fourth in 4:01.61.

Missouri duo Elyse Wilmse and Paige Stuart finished 1-2 in the girls 800 meters. Wilmse ran a meet record time of 2:04.05 and Stuart was also under the old record with 2:05.92. The pair will be teammates at Oklahoma State in the fall. 

Bryson Nielsen from Arizona won the boys 800 meters in 1:49.53 and Owen Wolfe from Iowa was second in 1:49.92. 

Craig Engels of Nike won the men's mile in 3:56.28 to lead 10 men under four minutes, and he joked after that he was happy to run a little bit faster than the high school boys. 

It was also a big night for the Rahmer sisters of Albuquerque, N.M. 

Isla Rahmer won the Junior High girls mile in 4:55.23, a record for sixth graders. 

Later, El Dorado High freshman Gianna Rahmer waited patiently in the pack and then pounced in the final 300 meters to win the second section Elite girls mile in 4:43.24, an all-time New Mexico best.