Connor Vanderhyde is making the most of his opportunities on the track during his senior season for Tri County.
Vanderhyde runs the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter dashes. Occasionally, he’ll compete in the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays in this, his third year of high school track. He did not run as a freshman.
There has been an enormous number of highlights for Vanderhyde coming into this season. He placed seventh in the state in the 100-meter dash last spring in 11.16 seconds. He went to state as a sophomore and didn’t place, but he still picked up some valuable experience.
His best event has been the 100-meter dash, but he is “really taking a liking to the 400,” he said. “I just broke the school record in the 200 and 400. I’m ranked pretty high in the state in the 400 right now. We’ll see what happens at the state meet. But I’m looking to run the 100, 200 and 400 at the state meet.
“It’s all sprinting. I wouldn’t say I have a best one. I wouldn’t say I’m better in one than the other. I put in an equal amount of time in my training into all three. They’re all different races obviously.”
In the 100, 10.92 seconds has been Vanderhyde’s best time, while it’s been 22.44 seconds in the 200 and 49.77 seconds in the 400.
“In the 100, I’m looking to go a little faster; I ran a 10.67 last year,” he said. “That was my PR. It seems like every time we’ve run the 100, there’s been a slight headwind or something about the day that wasn’t right. It depends on the day. In the 100, there isn’t much room for error.
“As far as the 200 goes, you want to go faster in all of them. The 200, I’m trying to figure out how to run the first 100. I’m playing around with things and trying to figure it out. I’d like to run a 22 flat. In the 400, I thought I was going to hate it because everyone says it’s the hardest race in track and field. But I’ve taken a liking to it. A 49, I’m happy with that in my first year.”
Vanderhyde noted that since the 400-meter dash is on the cusp between a sprint and a distance race, it’s a challenge to come up with the strategy to handle it.
“I had a race where the starter didn’t see everyone before he shot the gun and I wasn’t even in my block yet,” Vanderhyde said. “But he shot the gun. I didn’t have a choice, I had to take off. I had to get after it and run. When I did that, it was a PR with the starting mishap. I said, ‘you have to run the whole thing.You have to go.’
“The next race, I set the school record at 49. It’s a a sprint, a 400-meter dash. You have to go. For me, I try to not think about it too much but go out and run. There should be a race strategy. I tend to overthink things. I decided to try to make it as simple as possible.”
Vanderhyde said that he’s usually been a strong starter in the 100.
“This year, it’s been the other way,” he said. “I’m still getting out well, but I think I can get out better. Running a 400, I’m developing more closing speed because I’m in better shape. The 400 puts me in such good shape for my other events.”
That factor should help in the regionals, Vanderhyde indicated.
“Our first-year head coach [Brandon Briggs] has done an excellent job taking someone like myself to levels I didn’t think I could go to as far as the 400 goes,” he said.
Vanderhyde recalls that his dad, who ran track at Tri County and held records in the 100 at one time, encouraged him to go out for track.
“I didn’t run my freshman year because I felt I wasn’t going to be competitive,” he said. “That summer, going into my sophomore year, I started working out and did the right things. I saw huge gains in my body and decided to go out and run. I did and ended up setting our school record in the 100 as a sophomore my first year running. I broke it twice after that. It’s a matter of going out and working hard.”