High school phenom distance runners who succeeded as pros

Rupp, Ritz, shalane, Hasay (for a couple years there), Cranny

Matthew Centrowitz

Galen Rupp

Quincy Wilson (NIL)

Sydney McLaughlin

allie o

mary cain

Doris Brown

Francie Lairieu

Mary Decker

Lynn Jennings

Jim Ryun

Gerry Lindgren

Marty Liquori

Mark Davis

Bob Kennedy

Melody Fairchild

Alan Webb

I mean, most pros were really good in high school so....

Kessler and Hunter

Matthew Choi

Depends on what phenom means, and what succeeded means. Hocker won Footlocker, though wasn't too close to breaking 4 (great but arguably not a phenom), and now has won a silver at world indoors and is on his way to his 2nd Olympics. Brandon Miller ran 1:49 as a freshman (pretty phenomenal), but only 1:49 as a senior (not that crazy), and now he's going to the Olympics (pretty successful for any athlete imo).

Fisher won FL twice and broke 4. Ritz/Webb/Hall is the classic go-to. Brazier ran 1:47 in HS and got a lot of buzz. Kessler ran 3:34 which is phenomenal by any measure. Solinsky probably fits too, FL champ and low 8:40s, and ran sub-13/27. Going way back I think Adam Goucher, although I actually don't know what he did. Jeez just looked at his Wikipedia says he won FL in the 90s and had a 4:18 1600m PB that's crazy. Also made the Olympics. Bob Kennedy won FL and was the first American to run sub-13.

Idk probably some others that's all I can think of off the top of my head though.

Also depends on what "distance runner" means. I'd categorize 5K/10K/marathon as distance, and everything from 3K (or 3200m/2 mile) down as mid-d. I would consider lots of the people who have been listed to be high school mid-distance phenoms, rather than high school distance phenoms.

Fisher

Falcon

Kennedy

marc davis

reina

a goucher

etc etc etc

Do some reading, kid. If you love the sport, know the history.

6 posts in. No Jakob? Hell, does Kipchoge count?

Does king ches count

Ryun. Yes I know he technically was not a pro but oly silver has to mean something.

Lol.

Looking at the names in this thread I wonder what counts as success?

Emily Sisson.

Pre

Molly Seidel should’ve been mentioned by now

At least 3 of these athletes had very short careers, though. Fairchild didn't exactly have a decent pro career. Ryun and Lindgren were really only good a few years beyond high school, but not really consistently, right?