Eye on the Prize

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Meet Tommy Hazen. The 21-year-old Kansas State senior distance runner awoke at 8:00 a.m., ate microwave oatmeal, drank coffee, left his house, drove to the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track, and proceeded to turn last Friday into one of the greatest days of his life.

Hazen, a native of Overland Park, Kansas, had run the 3,000 meters plenty of times in his indoor career. None quite like this. With his mother and two siblings cheering him on in his first race of the 2025 indoor season, Hazen shattered his 3,000-meter personal best and eclipsed the K-State school, facility and KU-KSU-WSU Triangular meet record with a time of 8:03.77 — 10 seconds faster than his previous best.

"If I set my mind to a goal, I don't stop until I achieve it," he says. "Once I get there, I don't settle."

Hazen arrived at the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track shortly after 1:00 p.m. to watch his teammates compete. He continues to marvel at the new 200-meter, 6-lane oval, permanent banked track featuring Mondo's Super X 720 surface, making the facility one of the tops in collegiate athletics.

"It's pretty amazing, honestly," he says. "This facility is top of the line. You can't ask for much more from a training facility."

He's grateful for his coaches as well.

"It's been a really big year of training," he says. "We have a new coaching staff and, I mean, I couldn't speak highly enough about them. It's been a great fit for me and the team. We're seeing improvements across the board."

About an hour prior to the 4:38 p.m. race time, Hazen went through four different warmup exercises to oil up the gears — standard procedure for any race. His mind traced back to Thursday's team meeting centered on turning anxiousness and nerves into excitement — a creed that Hazen has clung to throughout his career.

"More than anything, I was thinking about competing," he says. "I'm thinking about the win."

Hazen has become acquainted with fellow runners through the years. That includes Kansas junior Peter Walsdorf. And, well, Walsdorf revealed a twist prior to running the 3,000 meters. Walsdorf opted to use a "pacer," or a runner who sets a specific pace during a race, usually to help a competitor maintain a desired time goal. Walsdorf wasn't playing around. He wanted this race bad.

Hazen lined up to race, and a thousand different thoughts could've been racing through his head, and a thousand different thoughts likely did run through his head in his younger years, but last Friday he focused on one raw emotion: Excitement.

"There's definitely a lot of people who probably think more about the race than I might," he says. "My main thing was just being excited about the race and competing for the win."

The race began, the pacer broke out front, and the pacer's mission was to put Walsdorf on pace for a 4:15 mile.

"That pace was a little hot for him," Hazen says.

Still, Walsdorf broke out 10-15 meters ahead of Hazen and maintained that lead for about 800 meters — about half a mile. K-State distance coach Kate Bucknam, who helped one runner qualify for the NCAA Championship last season at Belmont, stood on post near the finish line and offered suggestions to Hazen with each passing lap.

"It was just me and (Walsdorf), and he was really going for a big time," Hazen says. "A little bit after the mile he formed a little bit of a gap. I just stayed focused, kept my eyes on him, and slowly caught up to him. I caught him with two laps to go."

"When I passed him, I gave a little look over my shoulder, and knew when I made my move it was a strong one and a hard one to battle," Hazen added. "I was pretty confident at that point."

Hazen had one thing in mind: He wanted to beat the school record of 8:05.51 set by his friend and former mentor Hadley Splechter in 2022. With about 800 meters to go, he glanced at the clock. He knew he was close.

"I was focused on the time, but also making sure I was getting the win," he says. "The best way to do that is to run as hard as you can and give it all you've got."

He sailed through the finish line.

Mission accomplished.

"We were really planning on aiming for the school record toward the tail end of the season," he says. "With 800 meters to go, I did some math and made sure I finished the job."

He found his family in the stands. He texted his father, who was unable to make the meet. He thought about his journey. He thought about his achievement. He felt an indescribable "incredible feeling."

"I was excited," he says. "It's something to be proud of, but at the same time, I always want to make sure I'm not settling. I think there's still more to achieve both in the 3K and in other events. You always want to get better."

So, what's next for record-holder Hazen?

"I'm going to do my best," he says, "to get better throughout the season."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tommy Hazen

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