Just three days after setting her first national record in the 5,000 meters, Jane Hedengren made history once again. On March 16, the senior from Provo, Utah, shattered the high school mile record, posting a time of 4:26.14 at Nike Indoor Nationals.
Competing in New York City on the final day of the meet, Hedengren delivered a dominant solo performance at The Armory. She took control early, splitting 2:12 at 800 meters and maintaining a strong pace throughout. She closed the final 200 meters in a swift 33.5 seconds, finishing well ahead of her competition. Her time surpassed the previous record of 4:27.97, set by Sadie Engelhardt at the Millrose Games in February. Engelhardt, an 18-year-old from Ventura, California, had broken a decade-old mark of 4:28.25 set by Mary Cain in 2013. On Sunday, Hedengren finished a remarkable 14 seconds ahead of runner-up Zariel Macchia of Mastic Beach, New York, and improved her personal best by 10 seconds.
“I just wanted to push the pace the whole time,” Hedengren said in an interview with RunnerSpace. “It’s easy to slow down without realizing it, so I really focused on staying aggressive and giving a strong effort.”
This record-breaking mile came just days after Hedengren’s historic run in the 5,000 meters, where she set both indoor and outdoor high school records with a winning time of 15:13.26 also an American junior (U20) record. After her mile victory, Hedengren, who will run for Brigham Young University in the fall, admitted she had been aiming for the 5,000-meter record but was surprised by her mile performance. “I’m just thrilled there’s so much momentum moving forward.”
These achievements cap off a breakthrough year for the Timpview High School standout. In December, she set a course record while winning Nike Cross Nationals. The following February, at the Simplot Games, she ran 9:37.50 in the 3200 meters, becoming the second-fastest high school athlete ever in the indoor 2-mile.
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