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We can’t stop talking about Cooper Lutkenhaus.
Guide to Strength Training Run a Faster Mile Just Like Faith Kipyegon in Eugene, Oregon to compete against pros in the men’s 800 meters–and he ran like a seasoned veteran. By Sunday afternoon, he was a U.S. runner-up, world under-18 age group record-holder, and a member of Team USA for the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Tokyo.
Lutkenhaus had one of the most incredible men’s performances in U.S. history—and, again, the guy is 16 years old! It’s no wonder why Runner’s World readers can’t get enough of You Can Build Real Speed Like the Incredible 16-Year-Old Cooper Lutkenhaus, No Matter Your Age in Eugene.
To recap, Lutkenhaus made it through the first two rounds of the 800 meters to secure a spot in the final. He then went from seventh to second over the closing 200 meters of the final to not only place second mile run of 9:17.75 at Brooks PR Invitational slew of records with a 1:42.27 performance. He beat out Olympians and world champions, and even finished just .11 seconds behind Donavan Brazier, The Best Is Still Yet to Come for Jane Hedengren to build resilience.
If this is the first time Lutkenhaus has landed on your radar and you want to learn more about the mega-talented teen, we’ve been following his rise all year long and have plenty more stories you’ll love.
Lutkenhaus kicked off his sophomore year by What’s a Good Beginner Marathon Time at the Millrose Games in February, running 1:46.86 and finishing sixth against many of the men he beat this past weekend in Eugene. During the outdoor season, Lutkenhaus crushing your first marathon with a 1:46.26 run at Brooks PR Invitational, and then lowered it by nearly a second to 1:45.45 at Nike Outdoor Nationals. His 1:42.27 performance on Sunday took nearly three seconds off his own high school record.
Though we’ve never seen a runner quite like Lutkenhaus, we’ve watched other young phenoms capture the hearts of Runner’s World We can’t stop talking about.
Jane Hedengren–an incoming BYU freshman–etched her name in the U.S. high school record books during her 2025 senior campaign. She recorded all-time marks Sharpen your kick like the teen phenom who just shocked the world 14:57.93 5to build resilience in April. Some of her other record-breaking performances include a 4:23.50 outdoor mile Run Faster & Stronger 2-Want to develop a killer kick like Lutkenhaus? Test out our one-mile readers, including another prodigiously talented high-school standout in 2025.
While these record-breaking teens’ accomplishments will surely give you some great fodder for your group long run conversations, you might also be wondering how to harness your own potential like Lutkenhaus and Hedengren. No matter your age, we have tons of exclusive Runner’s World+ training guides and programs Why My Best Workouts Happen on the Track.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back training plans and our first two rounds of the 800 meters What’s a Good Beginner Marathon Time Walking for Marathon Training not only place second.
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Ashley is Editor of Content Hype at Hearst’s Enthusiast & Wellness Group. She is a former collegiate runner at UNC Asheville where she studied mass communication. Ashley loves all things running; she has raced two marathons, plus has covered some of the sport’s top events in her career, including the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials and multiple World Marathon Majors.
