Six Years Later, Hodge Has No Regrets
May 06, 2022 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
In 2016, Richard Myers was officially named Kansas State University President, Eric Stonestreet taped The Secret Life of Pets, the average price of gas in Kansas was $1.97, and a young man from DeSoto, Kansas, named Travis Hodge joined the K-State track and field team.
Hodge isn't sure how many laps he's ran around the R.V. Christian Track over these past six years, and really, that's not the topic here, as Hodge traces back his younger days in a purple uniform. The more notable thing, and the most incredible feat of them all, is this:
Hodge, a 24-year-old who never even considered pursuing collegiate track until later in his high school career, has spent one-fourth of his life running track at K-State.
"Pretty crazy to think about," Hodge says. "One-fourth of my life. It's just something that's been a part of my daily life for so long. It hasn't set in yet that it's coming to an end."
K-State hosts the Ward Haylett Invitational on Friday and Saturday. It'll be Senior Day. This marks the final time that Hodge will run on the R.V. Christian track in an official competition. This will also serve as the last competition before the Big 12 Championships on May 13-15 in Lubbock, Texas.
Time slowly ticks away.
"I've been very fortunate," he says.
Why, he's met some of his best friends through the track and field program. He's traveled the country. He's had unbelievable experiences. He's picked up three — yes, three — degrees, which is absolutely remarkable.
"From the moment I got here six years ago, I've loved basically almost every single second of it," he says. "I'm just super thankful."
Over the course of his career, he's competed in the 400, 800, 1,000 and 1,500 meters, the 600-yard run, and the mile run, and he's contributed on several relay teams. His favorite event is the indoor 1,000 meters because it's long enough that he must run as fast as he can and yet there's time to also think during the event. He placed third in the event (2:26.22) at the 2019 Big 12 Championship.
"My body just responds very well to that race," he says.
However, his main event is the 800 meters, which is regarded as one of the three toughest events in track due to its huge reliance on speed, stamina, and mental strength. He ran a personal-best 1:49.79 in the 800 meters at the 2021 Big 12 Championships. He calls himself a "gamer" and will give it his best, although he admits that the 800 meters is as competitive as it's been in the Big 12 since arrived at K-State. But it's about more than the 800.
Nearly two months ago, he ran a personal-best 3:52.70 in the 1,500 meters at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational — nearly six seconds better than a year ago. He ran a personal-best 49.63 in the 400 meters at the Ward Haylett Invitational last May.
He calls R.V. Christian Track his "habitat."
"It just feels like a natural habitat," he says. "It's just natural. Some tracks feel a little bit different based on how long the curves are or the straightaways and there's a little bit of variation. It just feels natural at home. My race will be the 800 meters, so I break the race into four 200s and think about how to tackle each 200, and I just feel like I can do it a little bit easier on the home track."
He isn't exactly sure what he'll do without his daily regimen that he's known for one-fourth of his life. There's the nutrient-rich breakfast, class throughout the day, and a pre-practice snack. There's the hour of stretching before practice. There's the daily practice between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. That's followed by a run, then weights or core exercises, then some more stretching, then the ice bath. Then there's dinner and homework.
It's the life of Hodge — student-athlete.
He knows no other life.
"Everything revolved around this lifestyle," he says, "and making sure I can be the best athlete I can be."
He'll miss his own graduation. That's fine. He'll be at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock when it's time to turn the tassel, but K-State Athletics will hold its own belated graduation ceremony for student-athletes who won't be able to attend their actual graduation ceremony. This time around, Hodge is graduating with a biology degree and a secondary degree in integrated health studies. Last year, he graduated in nutrition science and psychology with a secondary degree in gerontology. COVID allowed him to stay an extra year, which gave him the opportunity to stay in school, which allowed him to continue to compete and earn more than one degree. He's currently applying to medical school.
"Some people ask, 'What do you do?'" he says. "I try not to boast. I say, 'I'm just a biology major.'"
There's the topic of longevity. He understands it too well. Some athletes get injured and decide to hang up the spikes. Hodge has never suffered a major injury. Some athletes become so consumed with school that they lose interest. And some athletes just burn out. Not Hodge. He always figured himself to be a soccer player. Then he received track scholarship after his high school junior year. Then he became interested in pursuing track. And then K-State approached him, and he visited the campus, and he said, "I think this is the one." And track was exciting and new. And soon after, college competition consumed Hodge. He caught the bug. He was hooked.
"There's always the desire and the question: How good can I be? How far can I go? How fast can I go?" he says. "Then you get a personal best and wonder if you can go two seconds faster."
He pauses.
"And in a couple months," he continues, "it'll be over."
He's determined to finish strong down the stretch.
"I want to try and get the most out of it that I can," he says. "I just love it. I love the people and I love Manhattan and the people make it easy for me to want to go to practice and keep doing this. I get to see my friends every day. I get to be a part of a team."
Until one day, and one day soon, he'll stand alone. He'll look back on his journey, the 24-year-old man reflecting on that initial visit to the campus that would be his home for one-fourth of his life. There are kids with dreams. He encourages kids to chase them. He didn't realize his dream until later. Now he's lived out his dream for six years. He's a rare one and a lucky one in that regard. And he wouldn't change a thing.
"I'm so thankful," he says.
His proverbial college marathon is nearly over. He expects between 10 and 15 family members and friends to attend the Ward Haylett Invitational to watch him compete in Manhattan for the final time this weekend. Then he'll head to the Big 12 Championships. And then this chapter will close for good.
"I have no regrets," he says.
He pauses again. So many memories. A ton of thoughts. Too much to digest today. But that time will come.
"It's just going to be interesting," he says, "not having this as a part of my daily life."
In 2016, Richard Myers was officially named Kansas State University President, Eric Stonestreet taped The Secret Life of Pets, the average price of gas in Kansas was $1.97, and a young man from DeSoto, Kansas, named Travis Hodge joined the K-State track and field team.
Hodge isn't sure how many laps he's ran around the R.V. Christian Track over these past six years, and really, that's not the topic here, as Hodge traces back his younger days in a purple uniform. The more notable thing, and the most incredible feat of them all, is this:
Hodge, a 24-year-old who never even considered pursuing collegiate track until later in his high school career, has spent one-fourth of his life running track at K-State.
"Pretty crazy to think about," Hodge says. "One-fourth of my life. It's just something that's been a part of my daily life for so long. It hasn't set in yet that it's coming to an end."
K-State hosts the Ward Haylett Invitational on Friday and Saturday. It'll be Senior Day. This marks the final time that Hodge will run on the R.V. Christian track in an official competition. This will also serve as the last competition before the Big 12 Championships on May 13-15 in Lubbock, Texas.
Time slowly ticks away.
"I've been very fortunate," he says.
Why, he's met some of his best friends through the track and field program. He's traveled the country. He's had unbelievable experiences. He's picked up three — yes, three — degrees, which is absolutely remarkable.
"From the moment I got here six years ago, I've loved basically almost every single second of it," he says. "I'm just super thankful."
Over the course of his career, he's competed in the 400, 800, 1,000 and 1,500 meters, the 600-yard run, and the mile run, and he's contributed on several relay teams. His favorite event is the indoor 1,000 meters because it's long enough that he must run as fast as he can and yet there's time to also think during the event. He placed third in the event (2:26.22) at the 2019 Big 12 Championship.
"My body just responds very well to that race," he says.
However, his main event is the 800 meters, which is regarded as one of the three toughest events in track due to its huge reliance on speed, stamina, and mental strength. He ran a personal-best 1:49.79 in the 800 meters at the 2021 Big 12 Championships. He calls himself a "gamer" and will give it his best, although he admits that the 800 meters is as competitive as it's been in the Big 12 since arrived at K-State. But it's about more than the 800.
Nearly two months ago, he ran a personal-best 3:52.70 in the 1,500 meters at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational — nearly six seconds better than a year ago. He ran a personal-best 49.63 in the 400 meters at the Ward Haylett Invitational last May.
He calls R.V. Christian Track his "habitat."
"It just feels like a natural habitat," he says. "It's just natural. Some tracks feel a little bit different based on how long the curves are or the straightaways and there's a little bit of variation. It just feels natural at home. My race will be the 800 meters, so I break the race into four 200s and think about how to tackle each 200, and I just feel like I can do it a little bit easier on the home track."
He isn't exactly sure what he'll do without his daily regimen that he's known for one-fourth of his life. There's the nutrient-rich breakfast, class throughout the day, and a pre-practice snack. There's the hour of stretching before practice. There's the daily practice between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. That's followed by a run, then weights or core exercises, then some more stretching, then the ice bath. Then there's dinner and homework.
It's the life of Hodge — student-athlete.
He knows no other life.
"Everything revolved around this lifestyle," he says, "and making sure I can be the best athlete I can be."
He'll miss his own graduation. That's fine. He'll be at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock when it's time to turn the tassel, but K-State Athletics will hold its own belated graduation ceremony for student-athletes who won't be able to attend their actual graduation ceremony. This time around, Hodge is graduating with a biology degree and a secondary degree in integrated health studies. Last year, he graduated in nutrition science and psychology with a secondary degree in gerontology. COVID allowed him to stay an extra year, which gave him the opportunity to stay in school, which allowed him to continue to compete and earn more than one degree. He's currently applying to medical school.
"Some people ask, 'What do you do?'" he says. "I try not to boast. I say, 'I'm just a biology major.'"
There's the topic of longevity. He understands it too well. Some athletes get injured and decide to hang up the spikes. Hodge has never suffered a major injury. Some athletes become so consumed with school that they lose interest. And some athletes just burn out. Not Hodge. He always figured himself to be a soccer player. Then he received track scholarship after his high school junior year. Then he became interested in pursuing track. And then K-State approached him, and he visited the campus, and he said, "I think this is the one." And track was exciting and new. And soon after, college competition consumed Hodge. He caught the bug. He was hooked.
"There's always the desire and the question: How good can I be? How far can I go? How fast can I go?" he says. "Then you get a personal best and wonder if you can go two seconds faster."
He pauses.
"And in a couple months," he continues, "it'll be over."
He's determined to finish strong down the stretch.
"I want to try and get the most out of it that I can," he says. "I just love it. I love the people and I love Manhattan and the people make it easy for me to want to go to practice and keep doing this. I get to see my friends every day. I get to be a part of a team."
Until one day, and one day soon, he'll stand alone. He'll look back on his journey, the 24-year-old man reflecting on that initial visit to the campus that would be his home for one-fourth of his life. There are kids with dreams. He encourages kids to chase them. He didn't realize his dream until later. Now he's lived out his dream for six years. He's a rare one and a lucky one in that regard. And he wouldn't change a thing.
"I'm so thankful," he says.
His proverbial college marathon is nearly over. He expects between 10 and 15 family members and friends to attend the Ward Haylett Invitational to watch him compete in Manhattan for the final time this weekend. Then he'll head to the Big 12 Championships. And then this chapter will close for good.
"I have no regrets," he says.
He pauses again. So many memories. A ton of thoughts. Too much to digest today. But that time will come.
"It's just going to be interesting," he says, "not having this as a part of my daily life."
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