Daily Journal Athlete of the Week: Menlo’s Henry Hauser

Hauser trailed six runners when he took the baton from senior Amay Srinivasan for the final two laps. But, in what could have been the two longtime friends’ final varsity race, Hauser found another gear, then another, until he went into orbit for an extraordinary final lap to bring home the CCS boys’ 4x800 relay championship for Menlo.

“That was insane,” said Oli Olbekson, who had a bird’s-eye view of Hauser’s blazing finish after the Menlo sophomore ran the team’s second leg. “I saw this guy coming the last 200 around everybody, and with about 150 to go, I knew he had it in the bag, and he would do his job that last hundred. It was crazy.”

It was a lot to ask of Hauser, who less than an hour earlier took second place in the boys’ 1,600. It’s was a fine individual performance, as the junior recorded a personal record of 4:09.95, and bested the time of his older brother Will, who ran the event for a PR of 4:10.37 at the CCS finals last year.

“I wasn’t expecting to come back and run this fast,” Hauser said. “So, a little tired before the race, but I really wanted to focus on this team. Amay, I’ve been close friends with the past four years, and this would have been my last race with him, and I was trying to do anything to get it to one more. I’m just super happy we were able to get it done.”

Srinivasan was the odd man out in the hair department, as the rest of Menlo’s relay quartet bleached blonde for the CCS finals. Hauser and Olbekson both went full-on Frank Ocean. With graduation on the horizon, however, Srinivasan had the bleach job vetoed by the higher-ups.

“Unfortunately, I had graduation,” Srinivasan said. “So, my parents wouldn’t let me do it.”

It was the first time for the foursome to be running as a team, as Hurd was a late add, hence the reason he rocked the hurry-up frosty tips.

“I had to step up,” Hurd said. “We had three guys who ran 2:01, me included. I’m thankful my coach took a chance on me. Split 1:58, 1:59 today. It’s exactly what I needed to do.”

The name of the game was simply to get the baton to Hauser with a chance to pick off a few runners. He did learn from the best, after all. Last season, Hauser featured as the second leg of the 4x800 relay team when Menlo ran down the West Bay Athletic League title in the event, with Srinivasan leading off, his brother Will running third, and current Wake Forest University freshman Landon Pretre anchoring.

Still, with nearly 200 meters between Hauser and the race leader Saturday, rallying for a comeback was a tall order.

“Part of what I like to do is run from the back and catch up with everyone,” Hauser said. “It’s a feeling that’s motivating to me as you pass one person and then the next. It keeps me going. Then, 250 (meters) to go, I started slowing down and, you know what? I was: ‘Might as well go big.’ So, I went big.”

That runner’s high is something most competitive runners strive for. Among the elite, there is another kick beyond that runner’s high. While Hauser wasn’t busy delineating, his teammates, looking on in awe, had seen their junior teammate — who captured the WBAL titles in both the 800 and 1,600 — run some impressive laps.

“Not like that,” Hurd said of Saturday’s finish. “That was something special to watch. It was amazing. It’s a feeling that we haven’t felt before. We said we wanted to come in here, win CCS. That’s what we got done.”

What’s just as impressive is Hauser still had enough energy left in the tank to raise his hands in victory after crossing the finish line. He had a bit of breathing room, as Homestead anchor Joshua Williams nearly caught him, but trailed off in the final 25 meters to settle for second place in 7:47.17.

“I was worried with a hundred to go,” Hauser said. “I was feeling it, and I just thought: ‘Keep your form and hope for the best.’ And it played out.”

When he hit the finish line with 7:46.26 on the clock, that’s when Hauser realized what he’d just done — after all, he had to come back from orbit to celebrate with his team after giving them the proverbial one more day of summer as the championship qualifies Menlo for the CIF State Track & Field Championships in the 4x800.

“I cross that line and a feeling I’ve never felt before,” Hauser said. “It’s amazing.”