Former Monarch starts professional running career
After completing a decorated college career, Marysville alumni Alec Sandusky has established a career of running professionally while learning from a few challenges along the way.
In late November of last year, the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project announced the 24-year-old was officially signed to the running group, which was founded in 1999.
Prior to joining the professional ranks, the long-distance runner spent four years competing at Northern Kentucky University. In his final year as an undergrad, he chose to red shirt which gave him the ability to train, but not compete, so that he could finish his degree in education while student teaching.
(Graphic from hansons-running.com)
“I just couldn’t make a lot of the meets,” Sandusky said regarding the schedule conflict.
He then went on to grad-transfer to the University of Cincinnati where he pursed a degree in curriculum instruction as the COVID-19 pandemic struck the sports world. However, becoming a Bearcat was when he had his breakout year.
Due to COVID-19, Sandusky found an extra season to compete, thanks to the NCAA allowing athletes to gain an extra year of eligibility. The former Monarch verbally committed to Hanson-Brooks last November prior to finishing his last collegiate cross-country season.
“Honestly, I didn’t really know [running professionally] was an option at first,” Sandusky said. “I was always decent but never a star… I was like, ‘running has always been my passion so why not keep going.’”
Without skipping a beat, he was already lacing up for the club group competing in just the next month after competing for nationals in November.
Keith and Kevin Hanson started the group in the late 1990s funded by their running shops located throughout Michigan.
In 1999, they founded the Hansons Distance Project purchasing three homes to house post collegiate distance runners — the goal being to pursue excellence on a national and international scale.
Rochester Hills is where the group is stationed.
In 2003, the Seattle-based company Brooks Running signed on as a co-sponsor of the team renaming the group as the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.
The two entities have been renewing their contracts every 10 years.
“It’s been good here,” Sandusky said ,adding that the level of competition is a step up from college.
“It’s been hard, not going to lie,” said Sandusky. “You got to earn your spot.”
“Alec was a freshman when I started teaching and coaching in Marysville,” Monarchs’ head cross country and track coach Luke Sundermeier said. “It was really enjoyable to work with him on and off throughout his four years here.”
Sundermeier added that Sandusky proved to be a successful middle school runner. He watched him transition to a varsity level talent. After running in the high school state indoor and outdoor meets, Sundermier noted that he really got to know Sandusky once he moved up to the collegiate ranks.
Though he spent many of his daily hour training, among student duties, Sandusky occasionally visited his hometown. He spent time with local runners aspiring to advance their skill level.
“Whenever he’s home, he stops by practice and runs with the team and chat with the youngster,” said Sundermeier. “That says a lot about who he is as a person.”
Sandusky started to evolve as a competitor, which drove him to greater success after transferring to the University of Cincinnati.
His former MHS coach watched his journey progress.
“It’s just been fun to watch him set these very high goals and to continue chasing them,” Sundermeier said.
While he competed in several different distance events in college and in high school, Sandusky’s main bread and butter is the 5K/marathon category after being solidified with Hansons-Brooks.
In his professional running career to date, the four-time NCAA qualifier took 13th in the MT. Sac Cross 5.5 mile with a time of 28:18. He also notched 10th as an individual and first with a team at the USATF Club Cross Country 10k.
Both of those races were completed last year.
“It’s just a whole different scene,” Sandusky said about the jump from college to the professional ranks. “It is astonishing how fast these guys can run.”
The 2016 Marysville High School graduate had a decorated career as a runner for the Monarchs. During his cross-country career, Sandusky landed in the top 25 of the Ohio Capital Conference each year in high school.
He also participated during the indoor track season, competing in the Ohio state meet twice.
He placed 10th in the 1,600-meter run in 2016 after finishing 13th in the 800-meter run just a year prior.
In the outdoor track season, he reached the state finals in 1,600-meter run twice, placing 14th and 15th.
During six years as a collegiate runner, he added several accolades to his resume: NCAA All-American (indoor 5000-meter, 2021), CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District Team (2019), Horizon League All-Academic (outdoor track and field, 2018, 2019), Horizon League All-Academic (Indoor track and field, 2018, 2019), Horizon League All-Academic (cross country, 2017, 2018), Horizon League Champion (outdoor 1,500-meter, 2019), Horizon League Champion (outdoor 3,000-meter Steeplechase, 2019), Horizon League Champion (indoor 5,000-meter, 2019), All-Horizon League (outdoor 1,500-meter, 2019), All-Horizon League (indoor 3,000-meter, 2019), All-Horizon League (outdoor 3,000-meter steeple, 2018, 2019), All-Horizon League (indoor 5,000-meter, 2019) and All-Horizon League (cross country, 2018)
Sandusky ranks third all-time at Cincinnati for the indoor 3,000-meter run, second all-time for the indoor 5,000-meter and third all-time in the outdoor 10,000-meter event.
UC’s Alec Sandusky competes in the men’s 10K during the Great Lakes Regional Championships where he would take sixth place.
(Photo via Twitter/Cincinnati XC )
“My training was a little bit different at Cincinnati, so it has been a transition to do more strength running here,” Sandusky said. “I feel like I am in a really good place and I love the guys here and the mentality we have going.”
For a young professional runner, Sandusky has become a symbol for some Marysville competitors.
Sundermeier noted the former Monarch shares his daily training regimen with the MHS team in order they can model their workouts.
“You don’t always have to be a star right away,” Sandusky advises younger runners. “I may have been a top guy at Marysville, but it’s all relative… just because you’re are not the best right now, doesn’t mean you can’t excel.”
“It gives them (the younger runners) a whole new perspective on what is possible if you stick with it,” Sundermeier said. “We’ve done several preseason picnics for cross-country where he will come in and talk to the team, middle school through high school, just to share his perspective.
“To see it is kind of cool.”
Sundermeier recalled a time when Sandusky flipped a switch into a selfless teammate and competitor. During his high school days, the track team’s coaching staff was forming a 4x400 meter relay team and picked Sandusky to be a factor in it.
“Alec was primarily a distance runner and we tapped and challenged him to be a part of that,” Sundermeier said. “Without hesitation, he said ‘alright here we go, this is what the team needs.’”
“It was in districts when we had a couple guys go down in the lineup and they threw me in,” Sandusky said. “It was a shock… it opened my eyes a bit that while running is individual, but it’s also very much a team sport.”
That much was certain when on Dec. 11, Sandusky and four other runners reached the top of the mountain in the USATF Club Cross Country Championships.
They claimed top honors in the Men’s open 10K.
Sandusky finished in 10th place, helping Hansons-Brooks tally a total of 44 points — the lowest scoring winning — out of 35 teams competing.
To step outside of his comfort zone, Sandusky was able to pivot his skillset to become a better running competitor. He has goals of competing for a national title, which he understands may take some time.
Alec Sandusky
“It will never be easy, but I want to try and get the most out of my body because you never know when your last run will be,” Sandusky said. “I will always cherish my time at Marysville.
“I always feel that I have a special place there.”
