ABOUT:
ETHAN HAMMERAND
From a young age, Ethan was hooked on the sport of running. As a lanky, uncoordinated 7th grader, he made the unpopular decision to giveup football and his spot as the quarterback to run cross country. After some immediate success in middle school, he experienced a rapid growth spurt that dramatically affected his body and performance. For nearly three years, he battled Osgood-Schlatters, patella tendinitis, and three bone bruises. Determined to make his senior season count, he went out for the swim team in order to save his fragile legs for the season. As a senior, he fought his way to a few memorable performances including: 16:57 in the 5k, an appearance at the Drake Relays in the 4x800m relay, and state qualifying marks in two relays….. All while running 15 miles a week. Excited about his progress, but less than content with his high school running career, Ethan decided to continue his athletic career at Division III Loras College in Dubuque, IA.
As a freshman, Ethan incurred another round of setbacks as he began to train for his college running career, these included: a broken ankle, mono, two collapsed arches, and IT Band Syndrome. Incredibly frustrated with his injuries, he again resorted to extremes to improve his durability and running performance. During the summer of 2018, Ethan resorted to hot yoga 3-5 times a week to improve his muscle imbalances, durability, and core strength… And it worked! Over the course of his collegiate career, Ethan progressed from running just 15-20 miles a week in high school to running 1400 miles in 14 weeks in the summer of 2020. In return, he flourished in a system that rewarded hard work and consistent efforts.
Following his 5th year at Loras, Ethan joined Runablaze Iowa, a semi-professional running club based out of Des Moines. In the fall of 2022, in his debut for Runablaze and first season as a self-coached athlete, Ethan ran 3 PR’s in 3 weeks in 3 different distances: the mile, 5k, and marathon. At the Des Moines Marathon, Ethan went out conservative through the halfway mark, before eventually crossing the line in 2:30:30; a time good enough for 6th place and just 88 seconds off being the top American. Ethan currently lives in Woodbine, IA where he teaches high school English and Spanish at Woodbine High School while serving as an assistant coach for the cross country team and the distance coach for the boys and girls track teams where he provides 13 years of experience in the running world.
Coach Hammerand’s Lifetime PR’s
800: 2:00
1500: 3:57
1600: 4:15
Mile: 4:20
3200: 9:23
5k: 14:56
Marathon: 2:30:30 (5:44/mile)
Coach Hammerand’s High School Athletes (Year 2)
6x State Champion (2x XC, 3200m, 800m, and 2x 1600m)
2x State Runner-up (3200m, DMED)
5 School Records (W800- 2:19, M1600- 4:15, and M3200- 9:10, SMED, DMED)
6 State Medals (14th) WXC, (7th) W800m, (5th) M800m, (5th) DMED, (3rd) 3200m, (8th) 4x800m relay
21 Top 10 All-Time performances in School History
35 individual/relay state qualifiers in XC and track
5 boys under 10:50 in the 3200 (3 under 10:32)
5 boys under 5:00 in the 1600 (3 under 4:53)
Woodbine High School XCTF Team Accolades
2x 3rd place Men’s team finish at the 1A State XC Meet
10th and 12th place Women’s team finish at the 1A State XC Meet
5x District team champions in XC and track
7th place Men’s team finish at the 1A State Track Meet
2nd place Men’s team finish at the 1A State Track Meet
WHY DO I COACH?
During my time at Loras College, I served as the captain of the cross country team during my senior and 5th years. As the elder statesmen of a group of mostly teenagers, I often served as the second “assistant coach” of our group; continually providing support and accountability to my teammates in a variety of ways. In a short amount of time, we completely revamped our team culture to create accountability, trust, and an unparalleled commitment to each other’s success. This experience positively shaped me as an individual by forcing me to learn that running is anything but an individual endeavor; it is a continually evolving journey that at its best, teaches life lessons of discipline, community, and unrelenting hard work.
Although I had a terrific experience while running at Loras College, I continually struggled with the mental aspect of the sport. I would overachieve in time trials and early season races, but when it came to crunch time, I folded mentally and my performances suffered. Through coaching, I hope to guide, mentor, and coach all my athletes in a way that allows them to be at their best physically, mentally, and emotionally in running, but more importantly, in life.
“Running is a mental sport, more than anything else. You’re only as good as your training, and your training is only as good as your thinking.”
-Lauren Oliver
