• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Track & Field

New Pro Drew Hunter: “In Better Shape” than 2016, by Sabrina Yohannes

RBR AdminbyRBR Admin
February 9, 2017
0
0 0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Hunter-OakleyFV-NBgames17.JPGDrew Hunter at New Balance Games, photo by PhotoRun.net

Drew Hunter is one of the Next Generation of professional athletes. Coming out of high school, Drew moved to the professonial world, signing a long term contract with adidas. Sabrinna Yohannes spoke with Drew Hunter after last two indoor meets. She asked me to post just before the presser for Millrose.

RelatedPosts

CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK TO HOST ADIDAS ATLANTA CITY GAMES on May 6

World Athletics Continental Tour expands for 2023

Miltiadis Tentoglou to battle a tough LJ field in Madrid Indoor on February 22!

Best of luck to Drew Hunter at Millrose!

New Pro Drew Hunter: “In Better Shape” Than 2016

By Sabrina Yohannes

Virginia teenager Drew Hunter makes his debut in the Millrose Games’ prestigious Wanamaker Mile on Saturday, after clocking fast times in two races this indoor season.

Hunter, who became a professional athlete upon graduating high school last year, ran 3:58:92 for the mile at the New Balance Games in January before returning to the same venue in New York for the Armory Track Invitational last weekend and running a personal best over 3000m.

“It was my first time in a racing environment in a long time,” Hunter, who’d last raced in November, told RunBlogRun about the New Balance mile, in which he narrowly held off Julian Oakley to win. “I just wanted to compete and win the race and hopefully break four minutes in the process. … You could train as much as you want but racing’s different than training and so you never truly know what type of fitness or exact shape you’re in or how you’re going to perform, so it was a good start.”

Despite having limited experience over 3000m – in which he ran 7:59.33 last year, a high school national record — Hunter said he likes the distance and thinks it suits him. “It’s obviously a little bit longer but it’s more even, a smooth race,” he said. “It’s easier to run like 32 pace — 31.5-, 32-second pace — for laps than it is to run, like, 29s and 30s for a short race. It just doesn’t hurt as bad.”

But the Armory Track 3000m also served an additional purpose for Hunter. “Last year, I broke eight minutes and my coach was like, ‘Alright, now I know you can run under 4:00,’ so if I run under 7:55, then I know I can run a little bit lower under 4:00,” he said ahead of the longer race last week, adding, “Just kind of mentally, you know you have the strength here, and you’ve run well in the mile and you have the speed, so to put it all together, it brings you confidence to run well in the Wanamaker and races down the road.”

In the 3000m, he placed third in an invitational field, but in a personal best 7:51.90. “I stayed with the rabbit and a gap formed after that, but it’s an eight-second PR so it’s OK,” he said. “The first 3K of the year, so I can’t complain.”

As to what that performance tells him going into the Millrose Games, Hunter said, “It tells me I’m in better shape this year than I was last year.”

He broke four minutes for the mile last year while running for Purcellville’s Loudon Valley High, erasing fellow Virginian Alan Webb’s 3:58.96 indoor national high school record with a 3:58.25, before bettering it to 3:57.81.

“I’d like another P.R. again,” Hunter said of the 2017 Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile, which he’s looking forward to contesting for the first time. “Oh, I’m excited, it’s the Wanamaker Mile! It’s THE indoor event. Everyone looks forward to it. It’s on TV. I’ve watched it on TV as a kid. It’ll be really special to be a part of that.”

“My parents are track fans forever, so I’m sure I watched it growing up, but I don’t remember the first ever race,” he said. “I remember watching Bernard Lagat winning, I don’t remember what year that was.” Lagat won multiple Wanamakers.

“It’s cool to know that people are going to be watching you,” Hunter added about being on the other side of the TV cameras. “My parents will be there [at Millrose], but my whole family won’t be there, so my siblings, my relatives, my friends, will all be tuning in, so it’ll be cool to have that spirit. Gonna come full circle.”

Hunter’s first indoor season as a pro is well underway, with him having made the major decision in 2016 to pass up college athletic offers.

“It’s been a good decision,” he said. “I’m excited. I have opportunities like the Armory and racing against really good guys.”

But the decision was a tough one to make. “It was very difficult just not going to college,” he said. “No one else has really done this before, so it’s a unique decision. There’s not really anyone to really learn from. It’s a learning curve.”

“I’m taking a gap year now, but next year, I’m planning to go to school and take online courses or some form of education, maybe,” he said, adding that what helped him make the decision was that it was “Just a good opportunity and something I couldn’t pass up. I mean, there’s not many chances you have to get a very good contract in this sport, so the fact that I had a good contract and adidas is a very good company and everything kind of came together.”

Though Hunter pointed out that his situation was different from other athletes who went professional early, he has nevertheless taken some lessons about things to keep in mind. “Just keep finding the fun in the sport that you had when you first started: Just the simple joys of going for a run or just the simple joy of traveling to races and meeting some people that would be your friends for the rest of your life. It can get very complicated and you can make it hard on yourself but at the end it’s still just a pure sport of running.”

Long term, he said, “Everyone wants to make an Olympic team. It’s kind of a long ways away. So we’ll see, take it a day, a year at a time.”

The long-term view is one advocated by his father, who, along with his wife Joan previously coached Drew, now trained by Tom Schwartz. “If you’re at this level, you’re not quite at the top level, you want to be at the top level, which is to make world championship teams, make Olympic teams,” Marc Hunter told RunBlogRun. “As I told him — gosh, a couple years ago – the guys who make the Olympic finals, the world championships finals, the NCAA finals, the guys who stay the healthiest the longest, it’s just a gradual progression. And I think he’s really taken that to heart, and that’s his goal: Every year, improve a little bit, improve a little bit.”

“adidas signed him long-term to make sure that he has time to develop,” said the senior Hunter of his son’s 10-year contract. “The fact that he can just concentrate on running and the fact that he has this opportunity is quite amazing.”

Asked if he’d had any misgivings about his son’s decision to go pro, Hunter spoke of the trade-offs. “I think you always have misgivings, because I ran in college and I loved it, the whole camaraderie team thing, and I know he’d miss that, but when I looked at the offer, I’m going, oh my goodness, if I were 18 years old, I wouldn’t even think about it,” he said. “It took him from February to June to actually decide the decision, so he was heartbroken about it because he was so close to Andy Powell at [the University of] Oregon; he was close to a lot of the guys on the team. Just to have that decision was just extremely tough on him.”

“Once he made it, I think, the only regret he had during that time was when he was watching the NCAA cross country championships and he kinda wished, ‘Oh, I wish I was out there with the boys!'” Marc Hunter continued. “But as soon as the race was over, he cleared his head and he was like, ‘I’m really blessed to be where I am right now.”

Author

  • RBR Admin
    RBR Admin

    View all posts

Previous Post

Jordan Hasay’s Renaissance: Has Talented Distance Star Finally Found Her Event?

Next Post

NOW ON SAME TEAM, ROWBURY & HASSAN LOOK FORWARD TO SHARED SUCCESS

RBR Admin

RBR Admin

Similar Post

Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic
American Records

Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic

January 28, 2023
For Shoe Geeks: the Brooks Hyperion MAX
Running Shoes

For Shoe Geeks: the Brooks Hyperion MAX

January 28, 2023
2022 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week Three, Day Six, a day at the races
News

Coffee With Larry, Lilac Grand Prix, Dr. Sander Invite, Huge weekend of track and field !

January 28, 2023
UK Athletics announce a loss for 2021-2022
2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour

Dina Asher-Smith gets 7.04 NR, plenty of early World Leads at INIT MEETING Karlsruhe!

January 28, 2023
INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe, Messehalle, Karlsruhe, Germany, 27 January 2023, complete results
2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour

INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe, Messehalle, Karlsruhe, Germany, 27 January 2023, complete results

January 27, 2023
RECORDS, AND WILD FINISHES HIGHLIGHT CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON AND ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF-MARATHON
Winter Training

2022 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week 4, Day 5, Friday is a recovery…

January 27, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

July 5, 2022
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

July 17, 2022
Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

November 18, 2022
Wanda Diamond League Final plans, 2023-2027, from World Athletics Website

Wanda Diamond League Final plans, 2023-2027, from World Athletics Website

October 14, 2022
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

5
TCS New York City Marathon Broadcast to be Available in More Than 530 Million Homes Around the World on Sunday, November 6

RunblogRun Editorial: The Sorry State of Running Television Coverage, by Peter Abraham, note by Larry Eder

4
Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

3
Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic

Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic

January 28, 2023
For Shoe Geeks: the Brooks Hyperion MAX

For Shoe Geeks: the Brooks Hyperion MAX

January 28, 2023
2022 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week Three, Day Six, a day at the races

Coffee With Larry, Lilac Grand Prix, Dr. Sander Invite, Huge weekend of track and field !

January 28, 2023
UK Athletics announce a loss for 2021-2022

Dina Asher-Smith gets 7.04 NR, plenty of early World Leads at INIT MEETING Karlsruhe!

January 28, 2023

Popular Stories

  • USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

    Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Wanda Diamond League Final plans, 2023-2027, from World Athletics Website

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Howard Slusher, RIP, 1937-2022, the man behind the new Hayward Field

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent Tweets

RunBlogRun Follow

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. RunBlogRun is the voice of the sport.

RunBlogRun
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
4h

Coffee With Larry, Lilac Grand Prix, Dr. Sander Invite, Huge weekend of track and field! by RunBlogRun, ...https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/01/coffee-with-larry-lilac-grand-prix-dr-sander-invite-huge-weekend-of-track-and-field.html , #CoffeeWithLarry

Reply on Twitter 1619216893843496960 Retweet on Twitter 1619216893843496960 Like on Twitter 1619216893843496960 Twitter 1619216893843496960
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
deek207 Rob de Castella @deek207 ·
9h

@WABathurst23 @WorldAthletics @OceaniaAths @AthsAust @BenitaWillis One of the truely great Aust performances! 👏👏👏

Reply on Twitter 1619139914876194816 Retweet on Twitter 1619139914876194816 1 Like on Twitter 1619139914876194816 16 Twitter 1619139914876194816
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
wabathurst23 WABathurst23 @wabathurst23 ·
27 Jan

What does it take to win the @WorldAthletics Cross Country Championship? 🏆🤔 Aussie Champion Benita Willis breaks down how she claimed the title in Brussels 2004, surging clear of a pursuing ...posse of East African rivals over the closing stages. MORE: http://bit.ly/3XJkK0L

Reply on Twitter 1618869531186991106 Retweet on Twitter 1618869531186991106 3 Like on Twitter 1618869531186991106 25 Twitter 1618869531186991106
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
howlao Howard Lao @howlao ·
6h

Photos from the 2023 Lilac Grand Prix in Spokane, Washington!

Hosted by Union Athletic Club at The Podium

Photos for Portland Track

Reply on Twitter 1619196860576706560 Retweet on Twitter 1619196860576706560 2 Like on Twitter 1619196860576706560 26 Twitter 1619196860576706560
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
6h

Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic , by Larry Eder, https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/01/yared-nuguse-sets-ar-for-3000m-in-728-24-at-boston-terrier-classic.html , ...#yarednuguse, @on_running, @djritzenhein, #bostonterrierclassic, #usatf,

Reply on Twitter 1619197305281978369 Retweet on Twitter 1619197305281978369 Like on Twitter 1619197305281978369 1 Twitter 1619197305281978369
Load More...
Next Post

NOW ON SAME TEAM, ROWBURY & HASSAN LOOK FORWARD TO SHARED SUCCESS

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist