'Trackflation' is here: Why Utah's young runners are getting so fast

PROVO — Thirteen-year-old Angelina Alder has already run a mile faster than many accomplished high school athletes ever will.

Her 4-minute, 38.25-second mile at the Brooks PR Invitational in Washington this summer set an age-group world record — not only for 13-year-old girls, but also surpassing the mark for 14-year-olds.

And her coach says Alder is an exceptional example of something happening across the sport.

There is even a name for it: "trackflation."

Young runners are putting up times that would have ranked among the nation's best a generation ago but are increasingly becoming part of a much faster competitive landscape.

John Hedengren, founder and coach of the Provo-based Roadrunner Junior Club, has watched that shift from both sides.

"When I was in high school, I ran a nine-minute 2-mile, and I was fifth in the nation that year," Hedengren said. "And now a nine-minute 2-mile isn't even top 100 or 150, depending on the year."

Hedengren knows elite running firsthand. He competed in cross-country and track at Brigham Young University, earned All-America honors and later returned to BYU as a professor of chemical engineering.

Today he coaches some of Utah's fastest young runners while also working in research involving data, artificial intelligence and athletic performance.

More than one fast runner

Alder's 4:38.25 mile, recorded June 7 in Renton, Washington, is listed by World Athletics as her personal best.

But Hedengren said focusing solely on Alder misses the larger change he is seeing.

Roadrunner Junior Club currently has four middle-school girls capable of running a mile in under five minutes, he said.

The club itself has also grown substantially.

Hedengren founded Roadrunner Junior Club in Provo in 2019 with 17 young athletes. The organization now says it has more than 180 members training and competing throughout the year.

Its runners range from elementary-school beginners to nationally competitive middle-school athletes.

Hedengren said bringing talented runners together can create a snowball effect.

"They inspire each other," he said. "You get a group of talented girls and guys that are just kind of watching each other and inspiring each other and doing the little things to help them pick it up to the next level."

That can also change what young athletes believe is possible.

Hedengren compared the effect to Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile barrier in 1954.

"That happens when Angelina runs a 4:38 as a seventh grader," he said. "Other girls, other guys that are that age are looking at that saying, 'Wait a minute. I might be able to do that too.'"

Why are kids getting faster?

There is no single explanation, Hedengren said.

Training information that once may have been limited to elite programs or experienced coaches is now widely available through books, podcasts, videos and online training resources.

Understanding of nutrition and recovery has improved. Coaching has become more sophisticated.

And then there are the shoes.

So-called "super shoes," which commonly use lightweight foams and carbon or composite plates, have changed distance running at nearly every level.

Hedengren said studies measuring athletes' oxygen consumption have shown that some runners become measurably more efficient in newer racing shoes, though the effect varies significantly from athlete to athlete.

"You've got better training. You've got better nutrition, better coaching," he said. "So it has changed."

Utah may also offer another ingredient: altitude.

Hedengren said runners training in Utah County regularly exercise with less available oxygen than athletes at sea level.

Living and training at elevation can lead to physiological adaptations, including increased red blood cell production. When runners later compete at lower elevation, that adaptation can provide an endurance advantage.

"You do get an advantage from training at high altitude as a distance athlete," Hedengren said.

Utah also has a deep-running culture, from elite professional runners to BYU's nationally competitive distance programs and a growing network of youth clubs.

Hedengren said the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated participation as well.

Running was one of the few sports and forms of exercise that could continue relatively uninterrupted outdoors.

"You could put on a pair of shoes and go out and run," he said.

Years later, he said Utah's trails remain packed with runners.

But is it too much, too young?

The startling times being run by athletes as young as 12 and 13 raise another question: At what point does elite performance become too much for a developing athlete?

Hedengren said that concern is central to how his club approaches young runners.

"Looking out for the long-term growth of the athletes is the most important thing," he said. "Chasing certain times, world records, other things like that as a 12-year-old — if you're sacrificing the overall health and long-term development of an athlete, it's just a non-starter."

Roadrunner keeps its elementary runners at roughly 10 miles per week, Hedengren said, while middle-school runners generally train around 20 to 25 miles.

Even Alder, while producing world-record performances, was running only about 22 to 25 miles per week and typically running four days a week.

On other days, Hedengren encourages athletes to bike, swim or participate in other sports.

He believes that variety can help young athletes develop physically while reducing the risk of burnout.

"Those are the kind of athletes that actually do much better long-term," he said. "They develop a diversity of skills across many different sports. And they keep it fun."

Roadrunner's published training philosophy similarly emphasizes gradual adaptation and says runners are grouped based on factors including age, experience, injury history and emotional readiness.

The next wave may be even faster

Hedengren does not expect the trend to stop.

At BYU, his research includes applying data analysis, artificial intelligence and machine learning to athletic performance.

He believes the next major improvement may come from making training more individualized.

Instead of every runner following the same generic 12-week program, he envisions athletes using their own performance data to customize workouts, nutrition, recovery and even running mechanics.

"We're going to continue to see improvement," Hedengren said. "It's just a natural progression."

That means a 4:38 mile by a middle-school runner may seem astonishing today.

If "trackflation" continues, performances that currently rewrite record books could eventually become the times younger runners grow up believing they can chase.

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