Where dreams come true? 28 yr old breaks 4 mins for first time

Thanks for posting- for people who actually still have dreams, it is comforting to see people like us who accomplish their goals.

I agree that the people who troll this have lost that dream and have lost their motivation in life. I think, deep down, they do know that, and they lash out at people who are living their dreams because they want to lash out at themselves.

Or they're just a$$holes.

not a NOPer? wrote:

After hearing all the stories about people battling back from cancer (Lance and a few others) is there a chance that drugs they give you when you are sick can be performance enhancers years later?

Certainly possible. It's also possible that fighting and beating something like cancer gives you a better appreciation of the level of pain you can endure and the things you are capable of.

Yes it is. It's huge. Sub 4-minute mile, have you genuinely tried to get there? Have you felt the blinding pain of running at that pace knowing you need a 59.x next lap to get it?It's a massive athletic accomplishment.

crybaby? wrote:

Why was he crying? 4 minutes isn't that big of a deal.

zodd wrote:

Too much bad press wrote:

I can't believe you people. I posted this to brighten up the message board and promote a positive story in a very dark time in our sport and you all can't get your heads out of the sand and actually say something positive.

Many people here had the same dream but failed to achieve it so they can't bear seeing others succeed. They gave up. As for me I'm 26 and still running so I find this inspirational.

Nobody cares

bhamrunner wrote:

Actually, two 28 year old runners broke 4 minutes for the first time in the same race. Lex Williams ran 3:59.40.

Who was the oldest runner to break 4 minutes for the first time?

George Young was 34 when he did it for the first time.

Joybaby wrote:

Yes it is. It's huge. Sub 4-minute mile, have you genuinely tried to get there? Have you felt the blinding pain of running at that pace knowing you need a 59.x next lap to get it?

It's no different than the blinding pain of needing a 74.x next lap to break 5:00.

I have slightly mixed feelings about stories like this (Gabe Grunewald is another). On one hand, it's fantastic that they persevered to reach their goals through all the challenges, on the other hand, some of us have had similar struggles with career-threatening injuries, chronic illness, training alone through poor results for years/decades (up to 120 miles/week in my case), and yet never even made it to a state meet, much less winning one, never broke 4:30 for the mile, never had the Big Redemption. It is a huge reminder of just how much running is a genetically unfair sport, if you don't have "the Gift", you will always be an also-ran, no matter if you do everything in your power to make it happen, even if make every sacrifice.

Fortunately in my case, I found other things in life for which I at least had a modicum of talent, and was able to achieve my own "sub-4" experience, but running will always be a cruel mistress and bittersweet symphony, so to speak. I am at peace with that, and glad that I can still at least make the ground move under my feet, feel the breeze in my face.

Good job just blaming it on "genetics". It couldn't be that you were doing something wrong. Has to be something else.

I never understand thinking like this. If you aren't breaking 4:30 on 120 mpw and are getting chronic illness and injuries then you are obviously doing something wrong. In this case, its obvious that you are overtraining.

Great job Brandon, I heard that you are not just a great runner but a great person that is willing to go out of their way to help someone else. You make use in SC proud of you and what you have done. You have inspired a lot of our young runners

According to tilastapaja

2007 4:07.47 7 Columbus OH 5 May

2013 4:05.50 8 Greenville SC 13 Apr

2014 4:01.64 8 Greenville SC 12 Apr

2015 4:07.23 10 St. Louis MO 4 Jun

In college, I know he was a regional guy in the 1500 so I imagine that means he ran faster than 4:07.

There is a nice article that he wrote about himself here:

bhamrunner wrote:

Who was the oldest runner to break 4 minutes for the first time?

I'd like to know the answer to this. Couldn't find anything thru Google.

A

I'm totally mangling this. Again, the oldest person to break 4:00 for the mile for the first time was George Young.

So why does this lead you to mixed feelings about Hudgins' accomplishment?

Kudos to Brandon. Great to see someone push through so much adversity and achieve a lifelong dream.

Way to go Brandon!

You deserve the official LetsRun shout out: Brandon MF Hudgins

Getz it wrote:

It's no different than the blinding pain of needing a 74.x next lap to break 5:00.[/quote]

Speaking the truth.

Ive run with Brandon a few times over the years. He is an honest dude. From what I have seen he works his tail off working and running. Ive heard him talk about wanting to change the sport, and complain about the hurdles he has to jump all the time because he just doesn't have any credibility yet. Maybe the sub4 will help. He has a blog and stuff if I am not mistaken. So that might be worth a read.

I find it 100% believable thst there are people who can do everything right and train extremely hard and never run under 430. Do you really believe everybody is capable of running sub 430 if they train hard enough? I had a college teammate who trained much harder and more consistently than me, but was still well behind me hoping to run 430.

He also said "slightly" mixed feelings. He didn't say "this brandon guy is an a$$hole." He specifically says he thinks it is fantastic he worked hard and persevered to accomplish his dream.

I think his only point was there are those out there who work just as hard for slower times, but they are unsung, and that is the reason his feelings are "slightly mixed." I agree with him. I think it is great that this guy stuck with it and realized a dream. It's a great story. The reality is part of that was luck in genetics too, if course. I bet that Branson says the same things when he looks at guys running 10 seconds faster than him: "wow, great for him! I've worked for 15 years super hard and all I've been able to do is just sub 4, while those guys are 5 years younger than me running 3:50, genetics probably has a role in that."

Gj to brandon on breaking 4, I hope he continues to advance his running.

And to Desolation role: keep contributing interesting discussion points on this... wait for it... discussion board... Ignore people like "get a life."

Brandon has a youthful energy about him like I have never seen before. He has no room for judgement and petty behavior as all his energy is focused on enjoying the freedoms of running while managing the many stressors of his body and mind. I am a close friend of Brandon, and the accomplishments he has achieved in running have been life enriching for him. This is a wonderful thing specifically for Brandon because his success has given him the drive to share his experiences through a positive and inspirational light. Life can take people in many different directions. Based on Brandon's life threatening experiences, the chances of a dangerous and dark energy surrounding him has been probable at times. Thanks to his loving family, friends, and his perseverance through running, Brandon has managed to project an aura of positivity that will serve as a win-win towards himself and everyone he crossed paths with.

There are many different ways to find happiness in life. Running is one of those ways, and Brandon has found happiness. Many people have said this about Brandon well before he became a sub 4 miler.

That's about all I have to say about that