Natalie Dumas of Eastern put an exclamation point on a remarkable 4-day stretch of racing in 3 different states by running a US No. 1 time to win the 400-meter hurdles at Saturday's Puma East Coast Invitational Showcase at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dumas, who is headed to the University of Arkansas, dropped a time of 58.78 to take over the top spot in the nation this season in the 400 hurdles.
The victory on Saturday by Dumas, a 3-time national champion (400H, 400m, 800 at NB Outdoor Nationals last June) capped off an amazing week of racing for the versatile superstar.
It started on Wednesday's opening day of the Olympic Conference Championships at Rancocas Valley High when Dumas won the 800-meter run in a very relaxed 2:14.85, and came back to finish first in the 400 hurdles in 59.35.
She returned to the track for the second and final day of the conference meet and added two more victories, the 400m in a NJ No. 1 54.08, and the 200 with a PR of 23.85 in the 200, which is No. 2 this season behind Sianni Wynn's 23.50.
Then on Friday night, Dumas ran the 800m at the Track Night NYC Invitational at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island in New York in one of the most eagerly anticipated showdowns in recent years as she clashed with Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic for the first time ever in a battle between NJ all-time greats and multiple national champions.
Sheppard, a 2-time national champ (NB outdoor mile in 2025 and NB Indoor 800 in 2026), won the race in 2:02.37, the No. 1 time in the nation this season. Jane Hickey of the Ursuline School in New York was second in 2:03.68, and Dumas was third in 2:04.00. Those are the 3 fastest times in the nation this season!
And the next day, Dumas was in Maryland to finish off her whirlwind week by regaining the No. 1 time in the 400 hurdles.
Let's break all this down!
In total, Dumas ran six races in four days in three different states (NJ, NY, and Maryland), racked up 5 victories, and dropped one US. No. 1 time (58.78 in the 400 hurdles), a US No. 3 time (2:04.00 in the 800), a NJ No. 1 time (54.08 in the 400m) and a NJ No. 2 time and PR (23.85 in the 200)!!!
I can't remember anyone who ever won a race in three different states in three straight days!! I can't even think of anyone who has ever attempted that.
But Natalie Dumas is just built differently than most athletes we've ever seen come through NJ. She keeps finding different ways to amaze!
That's one of the things that makes her a legend!
