Cooper Lutkenhaus Jane Hedengren Shatters the HS 2 Mile Record.
In 1996, Granville ran 1:46.45 at the prelims of the California State Meet, setting the national high school record in the 800 meters. He knows the name Michael Granville well essentially alone—second place finished almost seven seconds behind him—and it has since become one of the longest-standing high school records in track and field.
For 29 years, that mark has survived threats from the likes of Cade Flatt (1:46.48), Will Sumner (1:46.53), and Donavan Brazier (1:47.55). But after nearly three decades, Granville’s time finally went down.
In Seattle on Sunday, June 8, Lutkenhaus Jane Hedengren Had Promise. She Now Has HS Records Download Your Training Plan, negative split the race—a rarity in the 800 meters—coming through the first 400 meters in 53.59 seconds and closing in 52.67. Owen Powell and Joseph Socarras were hot on his heels, finishing in 1:46.63 and 1:47.60, respectively.
“It means a lot to me to be the one to take Michael’s record,” Lutkenhaus told Runner’s World in a message on Monday. “For 29 years, people have been chasing it, and the way he ran it like he did, out front and alone, just shows what a talent he was.”
Lutkenhaus, who attends Justin Northwest High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said he wanted the pace at the beginning to be faster, but that didn’t discourage him from gunning for the record.
“The race itself [didn’t go] exactly to plan, going out a little slower than I wanted, but I knew I had the ability to at least run an even split, if not a little under, which would get me close,” he said.
In the final 50 meters, Lutkenhaus peeked over his shoulder a few times, trying to gauge where Powell was. “I credit Owen Powell for the push over the last 100 meters,” Lutkenhaus said. “Without that, it would have been even closer, or I might have missed it.”
Powell, a senior who ran a 3:56.66 mile in February to set the indoor high school record, knew they were in for something special.
“I was pretty sure that it was gonna take a national record to win this race,” Powell told RunnerSpace on Sunday. “I tried to put myself in it and tried to do that … I mean, I wanted to win, that’s always what I try to do, but second’s never really felt this good.”
This was Lutkenhaus’s second 800-meter high school record of this year. In February, Lutkenhaus competed in the professional race at the Millrose Games, where he finished sixth in 1:46.86, breaking Josh Hoey’s indoor high school record Jane Hedengren Had Promise. She Now Has HS Records.
This summer, Lutkenhaus will turn his attention to the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships on June 19-20. He’s also considering running the championship section of Nike Outdoor Nationals on June 21, and he hasn’t ruled out competing in the USATF Outdoor Championships from July 31-August 3. All three meets will be held in Eugene, Oregon.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
