5 questions with South Eugene's record-breaking athlete Boden Hanley
South Eugene senior Boden Hanley is a star track and field athlete.
Hanley recently broke a more than four decades-old 300 meter hurdles record from South Eugene.
The Register-Guard talked to Hanley about his training and what motivates him.
Q: You recently shattered the Roseburg Twilight Invitational meet record (2009) and the South Eugene High record (1981) in the 300 meter hurdles in 38.18. Can you take me through that day again?
Hanley: Early on in the season I set myself some really big goals, including breaking that really old school record as well as winning certain events like the Oregon Relays (Hanley placed second in the 300 meter hurdles in 38.36 out of 55 runners), state and setting benchmarks like a 37-second time. I had a couple of strong dual meets where I think I would have broken the record, but something went wrong at the end like I messed up my steps or I fell. But those relays were confirmation that I had the potential to do what I wanted to do. I was pretty nervous at Roseburg because it was the biggest meet of the season. I first had the 4x100 relay and felt like I was moving really well. I then got a big personal record in the 110-meter hurdles, and so I was going into the 300-meter hurdles, which is my marquee event, feeling really good. I had looked at the heat sheet and knew what the meet record was at 39. So, I was thinking well let's just go for the meet record, I have all season to get the season record. I started the race, and I was relaxed in-between all the hurdles. I was moving smoothly, and I felt efficient and because of that I was able to carry my speed through the last 100. I crossed the line, and I just knew it was a good time. I was celebrating with all my teammates at the finish and my coach was there, and I just asked her, and she just nodded at me and said, 'Yeah, you got it.'
Q: What got you interested in running the hurdles?
Hanley: It's actually a funny story. In the sixth grade I qualified for the district meet in the 100 meter dash, 400 meter dash and long jump. Those were my preferred events but at the last meet of the season I said 'I'm going to try other events,' so I did high jump, hurdles and some other ones. The way my team sent kids to districts they really wanted to send as many kids as they could just to get more bodies, and it happened to be that more kids could go if I went in the hurdles rather my other events. Instead of the 100 meter dash they put me in the hurdles and at first, I was kind of annoyed because I wasn't going to be in my best events. My middle school coach Trevor Betenson taught me a lot, and it became something I did really well in at sub-districts and districts. I was able to qualify for the middle school state meet in sixth grade in my only event - hurdles.
Q: What motivates you to train on days you don't want to train?
Hanley: I think about how much time I've poured into this already. I think about that day at state last year getting seventh in the finals. I think about the kids that finished with a 37.5, and I just remind myself it's going to feel good when I'm done.
Q: Let's go back to when you placed seventh in the 300 meter hurdles at state last season. What changed for you that year?
Hanley: It was my first year doing high school track partially because of COVID. I went into the season knowing nothing about the 300 meter hurdles and had no expectations for myself. I got to that state meet, and I felt like man I do not belong here. I had no idea what this year would hold for me, so if I could make the finals at state, I think that would be a good year and it will set me up for next year. I didn't bring as much vigor and I ended up getting seventh, which I wasn't super happy about. I got to see a lot of really fast people in this event. Two people went about 37 in that state final and immediately after that I was texting with my coach and I was like 'next year I want to run in the 37s, we're going to make this happen.' I went into this cycle where I was doing everything I could do in terms of training, eating and sleeping. I watch that race so many times and I watch my speed, (how) the people who won run over the first two hurdles, and how they maintained it. I actually went up to Nolan Malcomson who won state last year and asked him how he did it and he said, 'I just ran the 4x400 relay at the end of every meet and that helped me get a lot of strength.' So, I decided I was going to do a lot of intervals, a lot of 400 meter type training to make sure I could hold my speed all the way through the end of the race. But really last year after finishing state I was so inspired and determined.
Q: What is something most people don't know about you?
Hanley: I like to ski and rock climb. I can do the worm really well. I can do a backflip.
Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Noriega_Edith
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: 5 questions with South Eugene's record-breaking athlete Boden Hanley
