Huron grad Harkelroad keeps clearing hurdles at Akron

Each time Jimmy Harkelroad runs a 400-meter hurdles race, it stands to reason that the biggest concern would be the runners on either side of him. It's a race, after all. But as Harkelroad has grown as a hurdler, he has learned that it's not that intuitive. There are more important things to worry about than the other runners. Harkelroad's biggest competition: the next hurdle. "If you're too caught up, your steps can be off," Harkelroad said, "and it can make you a little too far or a little too close to the hurdle." The mental side was Harkelroad's biggest focus in his second season running for the University of Akron. The 2020 Huron graduate repeated as the Mid-American Conference 400 hurdles champion, allowing him to run at an NCAA regional for the second consecutive season. "It was a really rewarding experience to be the two-time champion," Harkelroad said. "It just shows how much hard work pays off and how trusting your coaches can really get you where you want to be." Huron track coach Mike Lemponen is fond of telling the story that Harkelroad almost quit hurdles during his freshman year of high school. But Lemponen, a former college hurdler himself, saw enough positive traits in Harkelroad to encourage him to stick with it. It took some convincing, but Harkelroad didn't quit. He finally found belief in himself as a sophomore, when he ran a great 300-meter hurdles race at district only to hit the final hurdle. "I just listened to coach Lemponen," Harkelroad said. "He said he thought I'd be good." Harkelroad then took a huge step forward as a junior, finishing state runner-up in the 300 hurdles in Division II, before COVID-19 wiped out his senior season. As a freshman at Akron, Harkelroad won the MAC 400 hurdles, but he knew that to take another step forward, his mentality had to improve. "I was really working on being comfortable out on the track," Harkelroad said, "running races more to my ability and running my own race and not trying to compete with others and sabotage what I'm trying to do." Harkelroad was still regarded as a freshman eligibility-wise in 2022 due to the blanket waiver the NCAA provided due to COVID. He began the season running mostly the open 400, where he ran sub-48 times. Not starting on the hurdles right away was by design. "400s was basically to build my speed and endurance so I could use that during the hurdles," Harkelroad said. He ran a 53.63 in his first hurdles race of the year, in late March, but quickly dropped his times. Next time out, he was 52.87, then 52.17. In Long Beach, California, in mid-April, Harkelroad ran his fastest race of the season, 51.14 seconds. He followed that up a week later at the Indiana Invitational with a 51.17 to win the meet. He also placed 12th in the open 400 in Indiana to earn co-MAC Track Athlete of the Week honors. "I was really focused on the start of my race (in Indiana)," Harkelroad said. "I was seeing those hurdles really well at the beginning. I wasn't racing against anybody. I was just trying to do my rhythm and do what I had to do." Harkelroad came across the line first at the MAC Championships in 51.46, sending him to the NCAA East Regional back in Bloomington, where he was 26th (51.64). "First year (at regional) was kind of OK, I made it. It's an experience year," Harkelroad said. "This year, I was more comfortable at the meet. You just have to know that you made it to regionals and you're one of those fast guys." Harkelroad's goals for next season will center around his regional finish. The 12-best racers at each NCAA regional advance to the national meet. He has built up the mental side of his runs. The focus with Zips hurdles coach Dominika Stokowska in 2022-23 will be back on the physical. Harkelroad has been in the weight room a lot this summer, building up his legs and upper body to improve speed and endurance. He will return to Akron in the fall as his conference's no-doubt best hurdler with his sights on making a name for himself on a wider scale. Harkelroad certainly is happy he stuck with hurdles. "Definitely am," Harkelroad said of not quitting in high school. "Definitely glad."