To put it succinctly, Hayes Dunn loves to run.
At the CIF State Cross Country Meet on Nov. 26, the St. Joseph senior finished the 5K course at Woodward Park in 16:17. While it was shy of his personal best, it was good enough for 14th place in the entire Division 5.
“I wanted to run a little bit faster, but I thought it was a good overall time,” Dunn said. “We ran really well as a team, too. It was an easier course than I thought it was going to be; there was less hills, so that all played into my strengths, too.”
In league meets throughout the season, Dunn showed he could more than hold his own against the Pac-7’s best, winning several races outright. While he’s also strong in the mile, Dunn said he likes cross-country’s challenge.
“It’s kind of a difficult sport, but if you put in the work and you’re dedicated the entire season, then you’re just going to get faster and faster,” Dunn said. “You have to do it with both your mind and your body and come to practice every day wanting to get better and you’ll see the results.”
St. Joseph cross-country coach Luis Escobar said he’s known Dunn since he was in elementary school. Even then, he saw in the distance runner the potential for a “phenomenal” athlete.
“From a coaching standpoint, it’s exciting and challenging to coach and advise a student like Hayes because he’s above average in every way,” Escobar said. “He’s a leader, and everybody looks up to him. He’s a great kid to be around.”
In 2011, Escobar said, the highlight of Dunn’s season was claiming the Bell-Jeff Invitational in Los Angeles, where he topped the best runners from the Southern Section’s Division 5.
“Sometimes you come across kids who have the desire to be a distance runner but maybe they don’t have the right tools or body style,” Escobar said. “He has the desire to train, and he has all the tools.”
Dunn also played tennis in high school, but this spring he’s dedicated his time strictly to running. He’s looking to make CIF in track and improve his times in the mile and two-mile to have a shot at running in college. His top choice is West Point, though he’s keeping his options open.
“Our team owes a lot of success to our coaching we’ve had this year and in the previous years,” Dunn said of his high school career. “If you put the work in, then you’re going to see the results.”
This article appears in Dec 8-15, 2011.