The Science Hill junior is the first high school girl to break 16
minutes in an off-track 5K.
By Andrew Dawson
Nov 24, 2020

jenna hutchins
Courtesy of Rick Hutchins
* High school junior Jenna Hutchins has broken the national
cross-country record, becoming the first girl to run a sub-16:00 on
a cross-country course.
* The 16-year-old beat 268 competitors from all over the country at
the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships on November
21.
* The previous record was held by Katelyn Tuohy who dropped a
16:06.87 in 2018.
__________________________________________________________________

The girls’ high school cross-country record has been broken once again.

Jenna Hutchins, a junior from Science Hill High School in Johnson City,
Tennessee, ran 15:58.42 at the RunningLane National Cross-Country
Championships on November 21 in Huntsville, Alabama, topping her 268
competitors from across the country. Heading into the race, the
16-year-old wanted to win—entering the record books was a bonus.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest running news? Runner’s World+
All Access can help

“My closest time before this race was 16:25, and I ran that at my first
race of this season,” Hutchins told Runner’s World. “We’ve been
fortunate to have a pretty normal season considering the circumstances
. It’s gone pretty well. I’ve made a lot of
improvements in time and feeling stronger, so my main focus was just
securing the win.”

Race day brought ideal conditions—slightly warmer than most prefer in
the high 50s and low 60s, but perfect for Hutchins. Her first mile went
off smoothly, with Hutchins coming through in 5:01. She conquered a
hill at the start of mile two, opening her stride once she reached the
top. As she neared the start of the third mile, 10:16 into the race,
she started to hear murmurs from the crowd.

jenna hutchins
Courtesy of Rick Hutchins

“The spectators cheering was a big help and kept me motivated, and
people started telling me I was on record pace,” Hutchins said. “If I
could hold on that last mile, I knew I had a shot.”

In order to get the record—16:06.87, set by former high school
standout Katelyn Tuohy in 2018—she’d need a fast final mile and change
in at least 5:42.
Related Stories
17-Year-Old Sets American Junior Marathon Record
Cross-Country Runner Helps Fallen Competitor

Hutchins climbed another big hill at the start of the third mile, and
once at the top, she had a little downhill and then a relatively flat
route to the finish. With the crowd hoping to see history, Hutchins fed
off of them all the way to end where spectators erupted.

As Hutchins rounded into the home stretch, the clock read sub-16, with
about 100 meters to go. Hutchins turned on the jets and kept that 15 on
the board, finishing with the new girls’ high school record of
15:58.42.

She beat the second place runner by 58 seconds.

“It was amazing,” Hutchins said. “Having fun was the first priority for
me, and to achieve a mark like this that means so much. I’ve loved
running from such a young age and to see my dreams come true and being
able to reap the benefits of the work I’ve put in, especially during
COVID when races aren’t always a guarantee, makes me excited for the
future.”
jenna hutchins
Courtesy of Rick Hutchins

Her parents and her uncle greeted Hutchins at the finish and they
celebrated with a big breakfast at a nearby brunch place. Hutchins got
the waffles.

With this race finished, Hutchins’s cross-country season is complete.
She‘s hoping for a indoor season to happen as well as outdoor in the
spring semester when she competes in the mile and two-mile events.

Before that, she is scheduled to compete at an invitational 5K track
race in Nashville. She’s never done a 5K on the track, but she’s
excited to race under the lights to get ready for the track season and
whatever comes next.
Andrew Dawson Gear & News Editor Drew covers a variety of subjects
for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and
editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness,
gear, and fitness for the brand.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported
onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be
able to find more information about this and similar content at
piano.io
--- up 13 weeks, 1 day, 7 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (24:150/1)