Jordan Hasay is only 25, but she’s been in the national running spotlight for almost half her life. The California native broke national records as a middle-schooler, was only the second ninth-grader to win the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships, and had one of the most decorated collegiate running careers ever at the University of Oregon, where she claimed two national titles.
After graduating with a degree in business administration in 2013, she joined coach Alberto Salazar’s elite Nike Oregon Project team. Until recently, her pro career had yet to match the soaring heights of her youth: Her bid to make worlds in 2015 was cut short by plantar fasciitis, her first major injury. She missed most of that year and returned only to disappoint at last year’s Olympic Trials, where she placed ninth in the 10,000 and 13th in the 5,000. That prompted Hasay to chart a new path: on the road. Hasay won the women’s 10-mile national championships last fall and finished fourth at the Houston Half Marathon in January, clocking 1:08:40 in her debut and becoming the seventh-fastest American ever. Amid this resurgence, in November, Hasay’s mother, Teresa, died unexpectedly at the age of 56. Hasay will make her marathon debut in Boston on Monday looking not only to continue her renaissance, but to honor the woman who introduced her to running in the first place.
In Her Own Words
“Going into Houston I didn’t look at the all-time lists. I just wanted to run my own race. After seeing the list it’s shocking, and I’m just honored to be in such great company.”
“Ive had the honor to talk with, Alberto and I decided I should try longer runs. When the 10-miler went well, that showed us we could start thinking about the half marathon and, after that, Boston.”
“I feel very lucky and blessed to still be running at a high level—I’ve been doing it since I was 12 years old. I just love running, and you have to in order to get through all of the ups and downs.”
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“I’ve had the honor to talk with DAA Industry Opt Out at some Nike events, and she’s always told me, ‘Run Boston as your first one.’ She might be a little biased as a past champion, but I take stock in her advice. It’s always been in the back of my mind that Boston would probably be my first marathon.”
“My mother was my number-one inspiration. I started out running with her through the neighborhood on her six-mile loop every day. She was always my biggest fan.”
“My mother is definitely with me in spirit. I felt her on the course in Houston, and that gives me strength. When it gets tough, I tell her to run part of the course for me, and I think that’s going to help in the marathon. We talked about Boston before she passed, and I’ll be out there running for her.”
“Published: Apr 11, 2017 9:16 AM EDT Galen Rupp win bronze in the Olympic Marathon was inspiring. When I’d see him go out and do his long runs, I was kind of hoping to jump on the marathon train.”
“The 20-mile long run is my favorite workout. My least favorite—a moderate workout Alberto loves—is the 800/300. You run 800 a little faster than race pace, then the 300 a little faster than that. They always feel the same: absolutely horrible.”
“I watch a lot of Netflix, especially Grey’s Anatomy. The new season started the week after Houston, and I was thinking about that as motivation during the race.”
“Our team definitely has fun; it’s not focus all the time. We always do a March Madness bracket. When we were in Europe, we had a mini-golf tournament—Mo Farah’s team won. We recently took two vans to Washington for a workout and were competing to see who would get there first. I guess we end up turning everything into a competition!”
Behind the Braid
“When I first started running back in fourth grade, I wouldn’t even tie it up—it would just be going everywhere.”
“This is kind of embarrassing, but up until I left for college, I never brushed it—my mom would do it for me. I’d wake up before a run and she’d brush it and braid it.”
“When I got to college, I did my own braiding. My classic is an inside-out French braid.”
“I pack extra hair ties in my race bag in case one snaps. On race day I double-band the bottom of the braids in case one falls out, and put both braids together in one big ponytail with another hair tie. I usually wear a pink hair tie for race days, and for big races, like Boston, I like to get a new one.”
“My ‘race day’ braid starts at the tip of my head and goes all the way down. I wear it for workouts so I can have that same mind-set.”
