Blake Haney - The Road to Success

"Deciding where to go to school was the toughest decision"

By: Evan Smith

Blake Haney is a seven-time all-American, 3:56.36 miler, and 3:39.07 1500m runner for Under Armour. Those times and sponsorships are just the tip of the iceberg, he as developed a love for track and field that gets stronger every day. From being a high school athlete, training under the tutelage of his father to training with the prolific Oregon Ducks track team to now running for Under Armour he as become one of the best young runners.

Starting early on in Blake Haney’s high school career he was coached by his father which led to some of his most memorable moments in his young career. Haney reminisces, saying, “In high school my dad coached me and there are so many great memories with him and my high school coach Dave Lonsinger. And that’s when I really fell in love with the sport.” This love Haney displayed for running would lead to great success winning the 2013 California Gatorade Cross Country prep runner of the year and finishing second at the Nike National Cross-Country Championships. With personal bests at the end of high school of 3:44.69(1500m) and 1:51.97(800m) Haney was able to get himself a scholarship to the University of Oregon starting in the fall of 2014

After a successful prep career Haney would come into the Ducks program as an elite athlete with many top division one schools wanting him. With a lot of expectations Haney says, “deciding where to go to school was the toughest decision. I’m extremely happy with my decision but it was definitely a stressful time.” With the decision of where Blake Haney would go, he would face some struggles that many freshmen go through. This rollercoaster of a year led to Haney’s favourite running moment; “…winning the NCAA outdoor team title my freshman year at Oregon was really cool. I went through some adversity early in the year, so it was awesome to cap off my first year in such a special way.” Having won the National Championship at such a young age would lead to a prosperous career at the University of Oregon where he would race to seven all-American finishes, a runner up finish, and another national championship.

This success which lead him to a then Oregon mile record of 3:56.36, would also lead him to a professional contract that so many runners grow up wanting to accomplish. Blake Haney discusses that for him, “The transition was pretty smooth. It has always been a dream of mine to be a professional athlete so to achieve that was very special to me. There aren’t many negatives for me. … But I am super excited to be training in Flagstaff and running for Under Armour.” In Haney’s young professional running career, he is turning into one of the worlds rising stars for Under Armour. Blake Haney emphasized that when choosing a team, “I think most importantly finding a coach I trusted 100%. Apart from that nothing else was essential. I got lucky that I ended up in one of the best places to train with great training partners.” Blake Haney stresses the importance on a strong relationship between the coach and athlete as being important to the success he has had throughout his many years running.

The love and attitude Blake Haney as for the sport continues to be attributed to the many hours of hard work he as put in and will continue to put in for the sport. Running is a sport that demands a persons composure through rough times and according to Haney,“…(He’s) always been pretty motivated. I’ve always wanted to get the most out of myself and be the best at whatever I was doing. After going through injuries and the highs and lows of competing at a high level I realized that running is my favorite thing to do and I want to commit 100% to it. Once I figured that out I have been able to consistently be motivated.” This motivation as kept Blake Haney driving for more and more success since his father coached him in high school and will continue while he runs on a Professional Contract with Under Armour.

Sources: GoDucks, Blake Haney profile. https://goducks.com/sports/cross-country/roster/blake-haney/8210

Iaaf, Blake Haney. https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/blake-haney-280960

Direct quotes per Blake Haney, Direct Message Instagram to Evan Smith. (April 2020)

Photo @Blake_haney1 https://www.instagram.com/p/BtM18jLnwX0/