From, “I can’t break 5:00” to the best in the nation

When Will Hasty began looking for a new job, he was thinking about more than career opportunities. His two sons loved running, and Will followed high school distance running closely.

He had taken notice of a small Tennessee team that finished on the podium at Nike Cross Nationals and later became the first high school team to place four boys under 4:15 for the full mile in the same indoor race.

That coach was Guy Avery.

Soon after, the Hasty family relocated to Nashville.

Gavin, the older brother, became part of a record-breaking Brentwood team and eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Montana.

But it was Brodey, then an 8th grader standing just 5’3”, who quietly walked onto the track one day and said:

“I can’t break 5 minutes for the mile.”

Within three months, he had run 4:34 for the mile and a nation-leading middle school time of 9:47 for 3200 meters.

What followed was one of the most remarkable high school distance careers in the country.

Brodey became a state champion, a Nike Cross Regionals champion, a multiple-time national champion, and one of the fastest high school distance runners of his era. By graduation, he had won nine individual and team national championships, set 16 state records, and recorded personal bests of 1:52 for 800m, 3:58.66 for 1600m, and 8:32 for 3200m.

The 8th-grade boy who “couldn’t break 5:00” had become one of the most decorated high school distance runners in the nation.

He went on to compete at Northern Arizona University, contributing to three NCAA Cross Country National Championship teams and earning multiple All-American honors. Today, he coaches at the University of North Carolina and continues to give back to the sport.

When other coaches ask how this “little kid” became so successful, Coach Avery points to qualities that went far beyond talent.

He was humble. He wanted to learn. He asked questions, listened carefully, trusted the process, executed race plans with discipline, and cared deeply about his team.

Talent matters. But humility, consistency, and trust in the process can take an athlete much further.