This characteristic on the wonderful Brooks PR Invitational, held on June 8, 2025, was written for RunBlogRun by Deji Ogeyingbo.
Brooks PR Invitational Assessment: Hedengren’s Historic Double Headlines a Scorcher in Seattle
Below scorching, onerous sunshine at Renton Memorial Stadium, the 2025 Brooks PR Invitational delivered what many had hoped for: a glimpse at the way forward for American distance working. On the heart of all of it stood Jane Hedengren, who reminded everybody why she’s rewriting highschool historical past with ease and beauty.
The 18-year-old from Timpview Excessive Faculty in Utah appeared unbothered by the rising 88-degree warmth, cruising by means of eight laps of the 2-mile like she had been coaching for this second her entire life. Her time of 9:17.75 didn’t simply break her personal nationwide document, it shattered it by 17 seconds. It was easy, calculated, and nearly surgical. Solely seven American ladies have ever run sooner.
The efficiency capped a surprising week for her. Simply three days earlier, she clocked 4:23.50 within the mile on the HOKA Competition of Miles, a time that ranks third all-time for the U-20 class globally. To run that quick on Thursday, fly again throughout the nation, and dominate once more on Sunday says all the pieces about her kind and mindset.
She hit her first mile in 4:41.16 and negative-split the second half in 4:36.59. That second mile alone would have gained the women’ mile race. It additionally would have overwhelmed three boys within the boys’ 2-mile. Alongside the way in which, she additionally broke the U.S. U-20 3000m document en route with a time of 8:40.99 and was clocked at 9:14.65 for 3200m.
Hedengren credit her religion for the performances. “It’s not me, it’s God,” she mentioned. “I’ve simply been making an attempt to do one of the best I can and present what this present is.”
Behind her, Rylee Blade ran a giant private better of 9:57.10 for second, with California’s Hanne Thomsen simply behind in 10:00.41. That duo flipped positions from the state championships, displaying the type of national-level consistency.
The 800 meters introduced one other document, this time from Union Catholic’s Paige Sheppard. The sophomore clocked 2:01.50, breaking Alexa Efraimson’s 2014 meet document. It additionally erased Sophia Gorriaran’s sophomore class finest. Sheppard’s timing and surge with 150 meters left was good, overtaking Emmry Ross, who had led early and nonetheless completed in 2:02.83, ok to additionally beat the earlier meet document. Georgia’s Oluwatosin Awoleye completed sturdy for third in 2:03.99.
In the meantime, within the boys’ 800m, Cooper Lutkenhaus of Justin Northwest in Texas wrote his title into the document books. He ran 1:46.26 to erase Michael Granville’s long-standing nationwide document from 1996. Granville’s run got here in a championship ultimate the place he gained by almost eight seconds. Lutkenhaus had firm, and he used it correctly. His splits had been 53.59 and 52.67—not the plan, however he adjusted.
“Once I hit the road slower than deliberate, I knew I needed to go,” he mentioned. “These races are about making selections on the fly.”
Washington’s Owen Powell was proper behind him in 1:46.63, a two-second private finest. Tiago Socarras of Florida completed third in 1:47.60, regardless of racing a 4:04 mile simply three days earlier.
The ladies’ sprints additionally introduced fireworks. Mia Maxwell ran 11.04 within the 100 meters for US#2. Her twin sister Mariah adopted in 11.28. Within the hurdles, Anisa Bowen-Fontenot as soon as once more received the higher of Jasmine Robinson, profitable in 13.19. That makes three head-to-head wins this 12 months, having beforehand overwhelmed Robinson at each Arcadia and Texas Relays.
On the boys’ facet, Brayden Williams ran a ten.22 to interrupt the meet document within the 100 meters, regardless of affected by cramps. “It wasn’t the cleanest race,” he admitted, “however I’ll be sharper at Nike Nationals.”
Within the 2-mile, Nebraska’s Juan Gonzalez closed in 56.65 to win in 8:47.06. He needed to summon all the pieces down the stretch after a slower first half. “It’s a scary however liberating feeling whenever you break free,” he mentioned. Gonzalez will run at Oregon subsequent 12 months and known as the race a milestone in his transition to varsity.
On the skilled stage, Valery Tobias gained the ladies’s 800m in 2:02.00. Kieran Lumb took the boys’s 1500 in 3:34.25, the quickest ever run on Washington soil. Brooks Beasts teammates Brandon Kidder and Isaiah Harris went 1-2 within the males’s 800, each ending just below 1:46.50.
