Seventeen-year-old Skyline High School senior Hobbs Kessler broke the national high school record for the indoor mile in February, running 3:57.66 at the American Track League meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Hobbs and his younger sister, Natalie, were encouraged to run by their parents–Mike and Serena Kessler–who coach the cross-country and track teams, respectively, at Skyline. But pre-Covid, the Kesslers spent more time rock climbing than running. Hobbs competed in the 2019 Youth World Climbing Championship in Arco, Italy.
Since the pandemic, Serena says, “all our climbing stuff was canceled and one thing we could do was get out the door and run. And that was really something that got my son to the level that he got to.” Hobbs is coached by her husband and famed U-M track coach Ron Warhurst, whose interest helped facilitate his acceptance into the February meet.
Despite the attention, his mother says, Hobbs has remained grounded. “He doesn’t feel a certain kind of pressure to perform,” she says. “He truly has so much joy in running–and when you run fast, it brings you even more joy!”
“I’m proud of myself for doing it. It’s been fun,” Hobbs says. “But it doesn’t mean the world to me,” he says of his ‘record. “Someone’s going to break it.”
