State Track Feature: Cody Hardesty ready to make state 800m debut
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The McClain Tigers boys track program is returning to the Division II OHSAA State Track and Field Championships for the first time in three years, and racing his way to the highest level of state competition is junior Cody Hardesty.
Hardesty will be racing in the 800-meter event on Saturday, and a unique fact about the runner is he didn't take part in the 800m event for most of the season, taking part in events that would help the team more so than his individual success.
McClain boys track head coach Bob Bergstrom spoke about how Hardesty is a team player first.
"Cody is a team person, and he ran the 400 this season because it what was best at the time," the MHS coach said. "He was also running some sprint relays and the 200 for us. As the season went on, he wasn't happy with his times, and he said he should probably move up to the 800. I said ‘let’s see what we can do.’
"We changed his workouts and got more distance and running, and when we got to the league meet, he ended up winning the league. I knew he could because he had the speed and determination to do so."
[[In-content Ad]]The junior did train for the event for parts of the season, but never officially ran the 800m event until the South Central Ohio League Championships in May.
"The switch from the 400 to the 800 worked well for me," Hardesty told The Highland County Press. "I had to get a lot of miles in and start working on my endurance, but the speed from the 400 helped me with my finish in the 800.
"The 800 is a lot more mental than the 400. You have more time to think, so you have to pay more attention to your competitors and their body language. It is all about who breaks first and seeing who is mentally tough."
How did Hardesty, who began his track career in the seventh grade as a sprinter, finish in that race?
Hardesty, who also competed in various relay events this season, left the SCOL meet held at Wilmington College as the league champion with a time of 2:05.32, winning by two seconds over the second-place finisher.
That wasn't all for the distance runner. When he raced at the district championships, he won again, becoming the SE District champion with a time of 2:00.66.
Even after being the league and district champion, Hardesty knew he still had one final tough path to travel at regionals, where he had to finish in the Top 4 to qualify for state.
Again, Hardesty (who is also ranked in the Top 5 of his class academically) did what he does best and was the regional runner-up, breaking the school record with a time of 1:57.22. The previous record was 2:00.00 by Jeremy Luke in 2001.
"It was pretty surreal," Hardesty said of his regional finish. "I wasn't expecting such a good finish. Coming around the backstretch (Hardesty was in fourth with 100m to go in the race), I started passing people, and it felt great.
"I thought it was possible to qualify for state, but I knew I was going to have to improve my time, and I took three seconds off my time from districts."
Shedding some of that time off at regionals was aided with his "kick" at the end of races, along with his overall training.
"A lot of times when I have the final kick, it depends on how the race is going," Hardesty said. "I usually like to try the last half lap if I am able to.
"There is a lot of training. You have to run a lot of miles and do a lot of endurance training and a lot of sprint work. It is a tough race."
Coach Bergstrom spoke about not only the athleticism of Hardesty, but his leadership within the team and his character.
"As a leader, he leads more by example, but people respect him," Bergstrom said. "He works harder than most, and the kids look up to him. People respect him because they see how hard he works.
"He's also a practical joker … and a real personable person. He wants to do well, and he's a great student. I'm proud for him to get to the state meet and know he can do well."
For the junior making his debut, there is a lot to look forward to this Saturday.
"I'm looking forward to the atmosphere," Hardesty said. "I'm looking forward to running in front of all of those people at a great stadium.”
The McClain Tigers boys track program is returning to the Division II OHSAA State Track and Field Championships for the first time in three years, and racing his way to the highest level of state competition is junior Cody Hardesty.
Hardesty will be racing in the 800-meter event on Saturday, and a unique fact about the runner is he didn't take part in the 800m event for most of the season, taking part in events that would help the team more so than his individual success.
McClain boys track head coach Bob Bergstrom spoke about how Hardesty is a team player first.
"Cody is a team person, and he ran the 400 this season because it what was best at the time," the MHS coach said. "He was also running some sprint relays and the 200 for us. As the season went on, he wasn't happy with his times, and he said he should probably move up to the 800. I said ‘let’s see what we can do.’
"We changed his workouts and got more distance and running, and when we got to the league meet, he ended up winning the league. I knew he could because he had the speed and determination to do so."
The junior did train for the event for parts of the season, but never officially ran the 800m event until the South Central Ohio League Championships in May.
"The switch from the 400 to the 800 worked well for me," Hardesty told The Highland County Press. "I had to get a lot of miles in and start working on my endurance, but the speed from the 400 helped me with my finish in the 800.
"The 800 is a lot more mental than the 400. You have more time to think, so you have to pay more attention to your competitors and their body language. It is all about who breaks first and seeing who is mentally tough."
How did Hardesty, who began his track career in the seventh grade as a sprinter, finish in that race?
Hardesty, who also competed in various relay events this season, left the SCOL meet held at Wilmington College as the league champion with a time of 2:05.32, winning by two seconds over the second-place finisher.
That wasn't all for the distance runner. When he raced at the district championships, he won again, becoming the SE District champion with a time of 2:00.66.
Even after being the league and district champion, Hardesty knew he still had one final tough path to travel at regionals, where he had to finish in the Top 4 to qualify for state.
Again, Hardesty (who is also ranked in the Top 5 of his class academically) did what he does best and was the regional runner-up, breaking the school record with a time of 1:57.22. The previous record was 2:00.00 by Jeremy Luke in 2001.
"It was pretty surreal," Hardesty said of his regional finish. "I wasn't expecting such a good finish. Coming around the backstretch (Hardesty was in fourth with 100m to go in the race), I started passing people, and it felt great.
"I thought it was possible to qualify for state, but I knew I was going to have to improve my time, and I took three seconds off my time from districts."
Shedding some of that time off at regionals was aided with his "kick" at the end of races, along with his overall training.
"A lot of times when I have the final kick, it depends on how the race is going," Hardesty said. "I usually like to try the last half lap if I am able to.
"There is a lot of training. You have to run a lot of miles and do a lot of endurance training and a lot of sprint work. It is a tough race."
Coach Bergstrom spoke about not only the athleticism of Hardesty, but his leadership within the team and his character.
"As a leader, he leads more by example, but people respect him," Bergstrom said. "He works harder than most, and the kids look up to him. People respect him because they see how hard he works.
"He's also a practical joker … and a real personable person. He wants to do well, and he's a great student. I'm proud for him to get to the state meet and know he can do well."
For the junior making his debut, there is a lot to look forward to this Saturday.
"I'm looking forward to the atmosphere," Hardesty said. "I'm looking forward to running in front of all of those people at a great stadium.”
Hardesty will be racing in the 800-meter event on Saturday, and a unique fact about the runner is he didn't take part in the 800m event for most of the season, taking part in events that would help the team more so than his individual success.
McClain boys track head coach Bob Bergstrom spoke about how Hardesty is a team player first.
"Cody is a team person, and he ran the 400 this season because it what was best at the time," the MHS coach said. "He was also running some sprint relays and the 200 for us. As the season went on, he wasn't happy with his times, and he said he should probably move up to the 800. I said ‘let’s see what we can do.’
"We changed his workouts and got more distance and running, and when we got to the league meet, he ended up winning the league. I knew he could because he had the speed and determination to do so."
[[In-content Ad]]The junior did train for the event for parts of the season, but never officially ran the 800m event until the South Central Ohio League Championships in May.
"The switch from the 400 to the 800 worked well for me," Hardesty told The Highland County Press. "I had to get a lot of miles in and start working on my endurance, but the speed from the 400 helped me with my finish in the 800.
"The 800 is a lot more mental than the 400. You have more time to think, so you have to pay more attention to your competitors and their body language. It is all about who breaks first and seeing who is mentally tough."
How did Hardesty, who began his track career in the seventh grade as a sprinter, finish in that race?
Hardesty, who also competed in various relay events this season, left the SCOL meet held at Wilmington College as the league champion with a time of 2:05.32, winning by two seconds over the second-place finisher.
That wasn't all for the distance runner. When he raced at the district championships, he won again, becoming the SE District champion with a time of 2:00.66.
Even after being the league and district champion, Hardesty knew he still had one final tough path to travel at regionals, where he had to finish in the Top 4 to qualify for state.
Again, Hardesty (who is also ranked in the Top 5 of his class academically) did what he does best and was the regional runner-up, breaking the school record with a time of 1:57.22. The previous record was 2:00.00 by Jeremy Luke in 2001.
"It was pretty surreal," Hardesty said of his regional finish. "I wasn't expecting such a good finish. Coming around the backstretch (Hardesty was in fourth with 100m to go in the race), I started passing people, and it felt great.
"I thought it was possible to qualify for state, but I knew I was going to have to improve my time, and I took three seconds off my time from districts."
Shedding some of that time off at regionals was aided with his "kick" at the end of races, along with his overall training.
"A lot of times when I have the final kick, it depends on how the race is going," Hardesty said. "I usually like to try the last half lap if I am able to.
"There is a lot of training. You have to run a lot of miles and do a lot of endurance training and a lot of sprint work. It is a tough race."
Coach Bergstrom spoke about not only the athleticism of Hardesty, but his leadership within the team and his character.
"As a leader, he leads more by example, but people respect him," Bergstrom said. "He works harder than most, and the kids look up to him. People respect him because they see how hard he works.
"He's also a practical joker … and a real personable person. He wants to do well, and he's a great student. I'm proud for him to get to the state meet and know he can do well."
For the junior making his debut, there is a lot to look forward to this Saturday.
"I'm looking forward to the atmosphere," Hardesty said. "I'm looking forward to running in front of all of those people at a great stadium.”
The McClain Tigers boys track program is returning to the Division II OHSAA State Track and Field Championships for the first time in three years, and racing his way to the highest level of state competition is junior Cody Hardesty.
Hardesty will be racing in the 800-meter event on Saturday, and a unique fact about the runner is he didn't take part in the 800m event for most of the season, taking part in events that would help the team more so than his individual success.
McClain boys track head coach Bob Bergstrom spoke about how Hardesty is a team player first.
"Cody is a team person, and he ran the 400 this season because it what was best at the time," the MHS coach said. "He was also running some sprint relays and the 200 for us. As the season went on, he wasn't happy with his times, and he said he should probably move up to the 800. I said ‘let’s see what we can do.’
"We changed his workouts and got more distance and running, and when we got to the league meet, he ended up winning the league. I knew he could because he had the speed and determination to do so."
The junior did train for the event for parts of the season, but never officially ran the 800m event until the South Central Ohio League Championships in May.
"The switch from the 400 to the 800 worked well for me," Hardesty told The Highland County Press. "I had to get a lot of miles in and start working on my endurance, but the speed from the 400 helped me with my finish in the 800.
"The 800 is a lot more mental than the 400. You have more time to think, so you have to pay more attention to your competitors and their body language. It is all about who breaks first and seeing who is mentally tough."
How did Hardesty, who began his track career in the seventh grade as a sprinter, finish in that race?
Hardesty, who also competed in various relay events this season, left the SCOL meet held at Wilmington College as the league champion with a time of 2:05.32, winning by two seconds over the second-place finisher.
That wasn't all for the distance runner. When he raced at the district championships, he won again, becoming the SE District champion with a time of 2:00.66.
Even after being the league and district champion, Hardesty knew he still had one final tough path to travel at regionals, where he had to finish in the Top 4 to qualify for state.
Again, Hardesty (who is also ranked in the Top 5 of his class academically) did what he does best and was the regional runner-up, breaking the school record with a time of 1:57.22. The previous record was 2:00.00 by Jeremy Luke in 2001.
"It was pretty surreal," Hardesty said of his regional finish. "I wasn't expecting such a good finish. Coming around the backstretch (Hardesty was in fourth with 100m to go in the race), I started passing people, and it felt great.
"I thought it was possible to qualify for state, but I knew I was going to have to improve my time, and I took three seconds off my time from districts."
Shedding some of that time off at regionals was aided with his "kick" at the end of races, along with his overall training.
"A lot of times when I have the final kick, it depends on how the race is going," Hardesty said. "I usually like to try the last half lap if I am able to.
"There is a lot of training. You have to run a lot of miles and do a lot of endurance training and a lot of sprint work. It is a tough race."
Coach Bergstrom spoke about not only the athleticism of Hardesty, but his leadership within the team and his character.
"As a leader, he leads more by example, but people respect him," Bergstrom said. "He works harder than most, and the kids look up to him. People respect him because they see how hard he works.
"He's also a practical joker … and a real personable person. He wants to do well, and he's a great student. I'm proud for him to get to the state meet and know he can do well."
For the junior making his debut, there is a lot to look forward to this Saturday.
"I'm looking forward to the atmosphere," Hardesty said. "I'm looking forward to running in front of all of those people at a great stadium.”