Nathaniel Rayan's meteoric rise to super stardom has been simply amazing!!!
In the span of just a couple months, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood senior has gone from a relative unknown on the state level to the fastest high school hurdler in the country!
Last year, Rayan's PR's were just 7.94 in the 55 hurdles and 15.05 in the 110 hurdles.
This past Monday, he burned a huge PR of 7.30 to win the 55 hurdles at the Varsity Classic at the NY Armory, which is the No. 1 time in the country this season. And he ran that time without blocks! His previous PR of 7.43 had come two days earlier when Rayan won the hurdles at the North Jersey, Sec. 2 Group 3 Championship at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
Rayan, who has also run 6.70 in the 55 dash this winter, is undefeated in the hurdles this season and has PR'd in five of his six meets!
Rayan, who has overcome adversity and injuries during his career, epitomizes what hard work, perseverance, and passion is all about. His story should serve as a lesson to any athlete who has ever doubted themselves.
How did all this happen?
Rayan was an elite gymnast when he was younger, but after he lost his love for that sport in middle school, he wanted to give track and field at try.
While Rayan has plenty of intestinal fortitude and has no problem pushing himself to maximize his potential, he revealed there is something else that motivates him to work even harder and run even faster.
Let's call it the Nehemiah factor.
Rayan knows all about Renaldo "Skeets'' Nehemiah - all of you should too!!! He sees Nehemiah's name all the time up on the Scotch Plains-Fanwood school record board, and that fuels Rayan's fire even more.
Quick history lesson for those that need it:
The legendary Nehemiah still holds the state (hand-timed) record in the 55 hurdles of 6.9, and the national record (hand timed) in the 110 hurdles of 12.9 over the 39-inch barriers. In his senior year at Scotch Plains-Fanwood in 1977, Nehemiah won the Junior National Championship in the 110 hurdles and was named the Track and Field News "High School Athlete of the Year. Nehemiah went on to hold the World Record in the 110 HH for more than 10 years (April 1979-August 1989), and in 1981 he became the first person to ever run under 13.00 over the 42-inch barriers when he went 12.93 in the 110 HH!!
Rayan, a master technician over the barriers, said he's inspired by Nehemiah's remarkable legacy, and that he wants to make a name for himself.
NJ MileSplit recently caught up with Rayan after his eye-popping 7.30 to get his thoughts on his amazing improvement, how he got started in the sport, his quest to win a Meet of Champions title and a National title, and a whole lot more.
So lean back in your fancy recliner next to the fireplace or grab your favorite spot on the couch and enjoy our latest installment of Feature Friday as we shine the spotlight on Nate Rayan, the fastest high school hurdler in the country this season.
NJM: First off, congrats on all your success this season.
Tell me your thoughts on becoming the fastest hurdler in the country and No. 13 in NJ history with the 7.30 you ran at the Varsity Classic? Are you surprised you ran that fast without blocks, and what does this performance mean to you, Nate?
Thanks so much! When I found out what time I ran, there was simply no better feeling. Seeing that all the work I've been putting in has finally paid off is the most incredible feeling in the world. So, saying that I was happy with the time would be a great understatement. I am a bit surprised that I ran the time without blocks, but I definitely knew that getting in the low 7.3 range was doable for this meet. This just shows to me that with blocks and more of the season to go, I'm looking to run something much better. 7.30 was my end-of-season goal, so this performance meant just about everything to me and I couldn't be happier than I was on Monday after running that time.
You came into the season with a PR of 7.94 in the 55 hurdles and 15.05 last spring, so I know what you are doing this season has surprised a lot of people. How surprised are you by how much time you've dropped this season?
I'm honestly shocked by my improvement over the last year. I knew very well that I was going to improve a lot from Junior to Senior year but, I would've never guessed that the magnitude of my improvement would have been this extreme. But, after opening my season with a massive PR of 7.62 back in December, I knew that I would've surpassed my expectations.
What has been the biggest difference, the biggest key to your breakout season this winter, Nate?
The biggest difference from last year to now is definitely the time that I put in off the track
Last year, I was just going through the motions. I would work hard at practice, but that's just about it. This led to injury, a lack of strength, and eventually, in the spring I couldn't practice at all anymore due to how bad my knees hurt. Now, after spending my entire offseason doing PT I understand that it takes much more than working hard at practice to be great. Often, I'll go to the gym, do extra stretching, and do PT exercises all after practice on a school night just so I can be healthy and improve myself.
What are your biggest goals for the rest of this season and outdoors?
What kind time do you think you can run, especially when you can use blocks on a fast track?
It's kind of hard to set goals for myself because I've broken my own end-of-season time goals on three separate occasions already. But one goal, I've had all along was to become an individual all-American and I definitely think that's doable in both the winter and spring seasons. I'm thinking that with blocks I'll be able to run a decent amount faster, but I also plan on improving a lot before the season ends still, so I'll shoot for 7.15 this year.
What about winning the Meet of Champions title and a national title this season? What would that mean to you and how are you feeling about your chances to win those championships?
The Meet of Champs title is definitely something that I'm gunning for this season and outdoors in the 110 hurdles as well, but the national title was never really something that I've considered up until now. Now that I know that the national title is within reach, I'm going to do absolutely everything I can to get it. To get to claim those titles would be amazing, and seeing as how I still have so much room to grow, I think that my chances to win those championships aren't bad.
I know you know about and have heard all about Renaldo "Skeets' Nehemiah, one of the greatest hurdlers of all-time. How much inspiration and motivation does it give you to know that you attend the same school as Nehemiah and that you are continuing a remarkable legacy of hurdling greatness. How does that make you feel, Nate, and how much does that inspire you?
Well, to be honest, it's a bit frustrating because he made the school record so difficult to get. But, in all seriousness, to be compared to someone like that is genuinely an honor. I consistently think of his legacy as motivation, because in my mind, if he could do what he did in high school, so can I. And, I'll work as hard as I need to until I get there. Nehemiah is an inspiration to me, and I'll be chasing his shadow till the day that I pass it.
When is your next meet and what is your goal for that meet?
My next meet is the Group 3 Championships in Toms River. I don't have any crazy goals for this meet other than to win because the Bubble is a notoriously slow track but, after that competition, I'm hoping for a PR in every meet going forward.
How surprised are you with all your success, Nate? Or is this something you saw coming?
I always thought I had the ability to be very successful with track, but I didn't think that my success would come so soon. Since last year I've hit a massive growth spurt and became injury free, which has helped me a ton this year. But what really made me aware of my impending success was the work that I put in. I can say with confidence that I worked as hard as I could from the end of the spring season till now. During the summer, I would be at the gym for hours at 6 a.m., then went to the track, and later that day went to physical therapy. And throughout all my setbacks, I continued to work as hard as I could. I think with the dedication that I have to this sport, I was bound to be successful one day.
What do you consider your greatest strengths as a hurdler? What enables you to be so great at what you do?
I'm definitely a technical hurdler, meaning that my form is a greater strength of mine than my sprint speed. I think my form is as good as it is because of my thoroughness in my training. I take my drills seriously and never skip a rep which is simple, but effective if for improving.
What do you love the most about the sport of track and field, and what specifically do you enjoy the most about the hurdles.
There's something about visually seeing improvement in my times that's addicting for some reason. And, as I said before, the best feeling in the world is seeing your hard work pay off. That feeling is what I love most about track. Hurdles add a technical aspect to sprinting which I find more enjoyable than just running. I can't explain why, but for some reason, I get a sense of thrill every time I go over a hurdle.
Let's rewind the clock. How and why did you first get involved in track and field? And how and why did you start hurdling? How did this all happen?
Back in the 7th grade, I used to compete in gymnastics. I did that for about 11 years of my life and was exceptionally good at it. The year after placing 16th in the country in the all-around, I suddenly and inexplicably fell out of love with the sport. I had always found running fun and would race anybody that was up for it in my childhood years, so after quitting gymnastics, I joined the track team for just the spring season. I had always found hurdles extremely cool, so I had already known that I wanted to be a hurdler before joining the team. Back then, I had a great coach who taught me how to do it and set me up on the path I'm on now.
When was your first big breakthrough moment when you realized that you could do some great things in this sport?
My first breakthrough moment didn't come until recently. Back in December, in my opening meet was the time that I realized all my work in the offseason had paid off. I had no clue where I was going to be after coming back to competition, but I came out and ran the US #2 time at the time and was ecstatic with it. Then is when I realized that I was going to be a top contender to do great things in the sport.
How much time do you spend watching videos of pro or college hurdlers, and who do you watch and what have you learned from watching them? Have you watched Nehemiah videos?
I think that I spend an unhealthy amount of time watching videos of college or pro hurdlers. I may or may not have gone down the rabbit hole of collegiate races at 3 a.m. instead of studying or sleeping. I think my hurdling technique and block start are eerily similar to that of Grant Holloway (the World Record holder in the 60m hurdles), so that is who I end up watching the most. I attempt to study other top athlete's form while watching the videos, but I ended up realizing that there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to technique. I have watched some of Nehemiah's videos, but it's hard to search for his videos since he competed so long ago.
What is the most impressive NJ XC/T&F accomplishment you've ever witnessed, and what made it stand out so much to you?
Just last year, we had Julia Jackson (now a freshman at Duke) on our team. She was extremely talented, and put on a show in the 4x4's. Seeing someone that I ran with do as well as she did was inspiring. Note: Julia Jackson was the one of the best 400 runners in state history, winning multiple Meet of Champions titles in the quarter and running a high school PR of 53.12.
If you weren't a track and field athlete, what sport would you be playing?
There are a ton of sports that I wanted to try but never got a chance to due to my commitment to gymnastics. I'd probably be playing football and basketball now if I didn't do track, but I would've wanted to try just about every other sport that there is.
How about the future, Nate? Have you decided on a college? If not, which schools have you visited and which schools do you plan to visit?
I'm currently undecided and open-minded. Since I've had a drastic improvement in my times, only recently have I had attention from colleges. Right now, I have a few colleges in mind, but I'll wait to reveal which those are.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Honestly, I have no clue where I'll be in 10 years. By that time I would want to have a solid job coming out of college and maybe a house of my own. We'll see whether my job will have to do with track or not, but I'm open to the idea.
What advice would you give to younger hurdlers who are just starting out in the sport?
The biggest piece of advice I would give to younger hurdlers is to not give up. I've had my fair share of adversity, doubters, and failure, but to get up after those things happen and work even harder is what's going to separate the elite from the rest.
