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CALEDONIA — Hannah Campbell's reason for taking up distance running wasn't unique. Like so many young athletes, she saw it as a way to get in shape for basketball.
"I just started running, and I was like, 'It’s not that bad,'" she said. "I had always been into endurance (things), and I liked to do things for a long time. It’s challenging, and I felt like it was a challenge in a different way. I could push myself, and it was all about myself."
What was unique was the 2014 River Valley graduate's distance running career. She not only set records; she won state championships.
Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month: Pleasant's Breahna Howard goes from softball to bowling
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"The summer before my freshman year I started running literally every day," Campbell said. "It wasn’t fast, and it wasn’t a lot, but I went out there every single day and I was running and I have to do this. That’s when I fell in love with it."
On Friday night, she was the latest former track and field athlete to be honored by her alma mater at the 20th annual Keller-Rich RV Relays.
"It’s just so great to come back and see people like my coaches that cared so much about me and invested so much time and effort," she said. "I thank them so much. They did so much for me. Now looking back, I realize how much they did. I’m so grateful for that."
In Campbell's debut as a high schooler in the 3,200-meter run in girls track, she set the school record. As a sophomore and again as a junior, she was the Division II state runner-up in the event. Besides continually resetting her school records, she set marks that still stand in meets like the Upper Sandusky Invitational, the Marion Night Invitational, the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and the Division II regional meet.
Running 5,000 meters in cross country, she was a four-time podium All-Ohioan in that sport, too. As a junior, she broke the River Valley girls XC record of 18 minutes, 42 seconds, that stood for 28 years, then her senior year she lowered it to 18:00, ending with four of the five top times in school history. She still owns the record.
"I always thought about being on top," she said of her drive. "The other girls I ran against in high school were great, too. I was always so happy for them and (made sure) not to take away from anything they accomplished."
All of it, including winning a pair of indoor track state championships, was leading up to her senior year of outdoor track. She never lost a 3,200-meter race in 2014, which gave her confidence heading into the biggest meet at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
"I had a strategy going in," she said of her final state run. "Always the first lap is kind of fast because you’re always in a pack and you’re all together. It kind of edges out. I remember going into the third lap. Coach (Aric) Smith and I always talked about how fast each lap was going to be. Every lap needed to be 80 seconds to hit that 10:40 because that was my goal. That was my goal time. I wanted to run that."
The first lap was indeed hot, but the second and third laps dropped considerably slower than the 80-second laps she wanted.
"I was like, 'I’m off my time and I know I can run faster than this,'" Campbell said. "I remember to this day coach (Bill) Fegley yelling across literally the whole stadium. I can hear him say, ‘Hannah, you need to go.’ On the backstretch, I broke out from the pack and created a little distance."
From there, it was a blur, she said.
"I just started running the splits that I had in practice for so many weeks in a row. I said, 'I know I can do this,'" she said.
And do it, she did. Campbell not only won the race, she dominated the entire field of runners, beating second place by a whopping 23 seconds. Her 10:40.66 set the Division II state meet record for the girls 3,200 as well, toppling the mark set two years earlier of Cincinnati Wyoming's Emily Stites. Campbell lowered it by three seconds.
"Once I cross the finish line, I didn’t even know what time I ran and didn’t realize I broke the record. It was mind blowing," she said. "I just won and I found out I broke the record, and it was icing on top of the cake. It was amazing."
A week later she went to the Midwest Meet of Champions and took on the best from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Campbell again won the 3,200 in a time of 10:40.76.
After RV, she enjoyed an All-American running career at Malone. Following college, she relocated to Cleveland and works as an emergency room nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. She married in October, and has taken up powerlifting with her husband.
On a cold Friday night, she enjoyed reconnecting with coaches, friends and family, all there to see her receive her plaque and hear all her accomplishments again, including her state title run.
"I had that goal. I knew I could do this," Campbell said. "I prayed to God and give all the glory to God for all the accomplishments I ever did and everything He gave me."
Watch the next Best of the Week columns for boys and girls spring sports for more on Friday's Keller-Rich RV Relays.
[email protected]
419-610-0998
X @McMotorsport
Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: River Valley honors 2014 state champion runner Hannah Campbell Friday
Continue reading...
"I just started running, and I was like, 'It’s not that bad,'" she said. "I had always been into endurance (things), and I liked to do things for a long time. It’s challenging, and I felt like it was a challenge in a different way. I could push myself, and it was all about myself."
What was unique was the 2014 River Valley graduate's distance running career. She not only set records; she won state championships.
Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month: Pleasant's Breahna Howard goes from softball to bowling
More Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month: Elgin's Cooper Schlaegel enjoys breakout wrestling season
"The summer before my freshman year I started running literally every day," Campbell said. "It wasn’t fast, and it wasn’t a lot, but I went out there every single day and I was running and I have to do this. That’s when I fell in love with it."
On Friday night, she was the latest former track and field athlete to be honored by her alma mater at the 20th annual Keller-Rich RV Relays.
"It’s just so great to come back and see people like my coaches that cared so much about me and invested so much time and effort," she said. "I thank them so much. They did so much for me. Now looking back, I realize how much they did. I’m so grateful for that."
Building herself into a champion
In Campbell's debut as a high schooler in the 3,200-meter run in girls track, she set the school record. As a sophomore and again as a junior, she was the Division II state runner-up in the event. Besides continually resetting her school records, she set marks that still stand in meets like the Upper Sandusky Invitational, the Marion Night Invitational, the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and the Division II regional meet.
Running 5,000 meters in cross country, she was a four-time podium All-Ohioan in that sport, too. As a junior, she broke the River Valley girls XC record of 18 minutes, 42 seconds, that stood for 28 years, then her senior year she lowered it to 18:00, ending with four of the five top times in school history. She still owns the record.
"I always thought about being on top," she said of her drive. "The other girls I ran against in high school were great, too. I was always so happy for them and (made sure) not to take away from anything they accomplished."
Becoming a state champion
All of it, including winning a pair of indoor track state championships, was leading up to her senior year of outdoor track. She never lost a 3,200-meter race in 2014, which gave her confidence heading into the biggest meet at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
"I had a strategy going in," she said of her final state run. "Always the first lap is kind of fast because you’re always in a pack and you’re all together. It kind of edges out. I remember going into the third lap. Coach (Aric) Smith and I always talked about how fast each lap was going to be. Every lap needed to be 80 seconds to hit that 10:40 because that was my goal. That was my goal time. I wanted to run that."
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The first lap was indeed hot, but the second and third laps dropped considerably slower than the 80-second laps she wanted.
"I was like, 'I’m off my time and I know I can run faster than this,'" Campbell said. "I remember to this day coach (Bill) Fegley yelling across literally the whole stadium. I can hear him say, ‘Hannah, you need to go.’ On the backstretch, I broke out from the pack and created a little distance."
From there, it was a blur, she said.
"I just started running the splits that I had in practice for so many weeks in a row. I said, 'I know I can do this,'" she said.
And do it, she did. Campbell not only won the race, she dominated the entire field of runners, beating second place by a whopping 23 seconds. Her 10:40.66 set the Division II state meet record for the girls 3,200 as well, toppling the mark set two years earlier of Cincinnati Wyoming's Emily Stites. Campbell lowered it by three seconds.
"Once I cross the finish line, I didn’t even know what time I ran and didn’t realize I broke the record. It was mind blowing," she said. "I just won and I found out I broke the record, and it was icing on top of the cake. It was amazing."
A week later she went to the Midwest Meet of Champions and took on the best from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Campbell again won the 3,200 in a time of 10:40.76.
After RV, she enjoyed an All-American running career at Malone. Following college, she relocated to Cleveland and works as an emergency room nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. She married in October, and has taken up powerlifting with her husband.
On a cold Friday night, she enjoyed reconnecting with coaches, friends and family, all there to see her receive her plaque and hear all her accomplishments again, including her state title run.
"I had that goal. I knew I could do this," Campbell said. "I prayed to God and give all the glory to God for all the accomplishments I ever did and everything He gave me."
Watch the next Best of the Week columns for boys and girls spring sports for more on Friday's Keller-Rich RV Relays.
[email protected]
419-610-0998
X @McMotorsport
Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: River Valley honors 2014 state champion runner Hannah Campbell Friday
Continue reading...
