Trails Collective Interview Series: David Hedges, 2020 Breakneck Point winner
David Hedges won the 2020 Breakneck Point trail marathon in a blazing fast 4:35, a solid 45 minutes ahead of second place. He’s currently doing his graduate work at Cornell University, but grew up in Chicago and did his undergrad at Colorado College.
When David was 17, David finished 3rd at Twisted Branch in 2015. He was going into his senior year at high school and cross country just wasn’t long enough. Taking a different approach in his early running career, David was running to and from school and putting in 130 mile weeks. Coming from practicing violin for 3-4 hours a day, he assumed that in order to do something well, he should do it for the same amount of time.
He doesn’t have a 60 second elevator pitch as to why he runs, except he gets to escape and he wants to be good. Why settle for being mediocre when there is that drive to try hard?
David has continued to improve in running, but also respects his body’s limits more not than he did when he was younger. Too much racing, maybe not enough recovery, David has had his ups and downs, but the passion and drive remains. He beats to his own drum.
In this episode, David shares the highs and lows of starting early and running so much for so long. He explains the transition to more mountainous terrain and how that has been beneficial in helping shift his mindset from miles to time on feet. David talks about injuries, running at JFK and much more. Don’t miss this episode!
More about David:
UltraRunner Magazine article by Eric Eagan
Related Posts
Add Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
