Van Meter's Eden Moore wins her first individual state title
In her final season of high school track, Eden Moore finally got her individual state title.
The Van Meter senior already owned two titles – in the 2023 sprint medley and the 2022 4x400 – but she wanted to claim one all on her own.
She did just that, running the 400 hurdles in 1:03.13 on Friday. Her time was more than a second faster than the next-fastest competitor, but it felt like she was much farther ahead of the field.
“It’s such an amazing feeling,” Moore said. “This is my event, and I wanted it. It’s just an amazing feeling to be able to accomplish this my senior year.”
Moore’s season-best of 1:02.55 was the best time in Class 2A this season.
But her time of 1:07.48 in last week’s state qualifying meet placed her as the second-fastest in the field, behind Spirit Lake freshman Leah Bolluyt.
Moore knew she could do more on Friday, especially because her time at the qualifier wasn’t impacted by the inclement weather but by scheduling.
“They wanted me to qualify in the 200- and 400-meter hurdles,” Moore said. “So, at state qualifying, that meant I had to run them back-to-back. So, that time was after me running an open (200).”
That meant tired legs.
Moore knew it wouldn’t be her best time but, despite some concerns, she was confident in her abilities at state. The lower time landed in Lane 1 of the third heat, and it was exactly what she needed to get the extra push over the finish line.
And while it looked like Moore had it won after the final hurdle, she didn’t feel that way on the track.
“I wouldn’t say I ever feel like (I could win it) in the 400 hurdles, because anything could happen,” Moore said. “You could fall. But after the last hurdle, I was getting that feeling, like I could do it, just a good feeling.”
The 400 hurdles is a grueling race, especially after the last hurdle when runners are faced with one final stretch to the finish line on exhausted legs.
It’s painful and tiring and not helped at all by the sun beating down on the Blue Oval in the middle of an 80-degree day.
But it’s worth it, and Moore wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“It’s one minute of your life. You can do almost anything for that long. Once it’s done, it’s the best feeling ever, so you just have to grit it out.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Van Meter's Eden Moore wins her first individual state title
