BROOKINGS – Cody Larson picked up the outdoor season where he left off the indoor season.
After winning the 3,000 and 5,000-meter races at the Summit League Indoor Championships in February, Larson kicked off the outdoor season with two straight school records in two straight performances.
The former Warner standout knocked off Josh Yeager (2021) in the 5,000 meters in a time of 13:34.46, and Craig Cassen (1991) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 8:30.96.
The 5,000 meters clocking is an all-time collegiate record for South Dakota.
“Talking to Coach (Rod DeHaven), since I was on a roll with indoor (we decided) to get the 5K out of the way,” Larson said following his record-setting performance in that race.
Larson trimmed nearly 30 seconds off his 5K PR at a race at Stanford in early April.
It was a performance that shocked even him.
“I was hoping to go faster and PR,” he said, “but I had no idea I was going this fast.”
Larson said he just wanted to get the most out of an opportunity to run in a fast heat at one of the top early meets in the country.
“I’m still shell shocked by it,” he noted.
Larson returned to the West Coast last weekend, notching the steeplechase record at the Brian Clay Relays, another prestigious early-season meet. Those performances will hopefully be enough to boost Larson into the regional meet come season’s end. He said he will likely not run another 5K race until the Summit League outdoor meet.
“It’s risky,” he said of that strategy.
Regardless, seeing his name at the top of the SDSU record book – which includes the likes of former Olympian and current Jacks coach DeHaven – is akin to a dream come true.
“This is the stuff I dreamed about when I was a sophomore in high school,” he said.
As a freshman at SDSU, Larson said his only goal was to make the roster to compete at the conference meet. He has had to revise that goal list every year, always in an upward trajectory.
“To be able to go to some of these meets and be competing against the best of the best is crazy,” he said.
In some ways, being a small-town kid in those races is a lot like being a Class B runner competing against the bigger schools. He needed to prove, even if only to himself, that he belonged there.
“The chip I’ve had on my shoulder has always been there,” he said.
Larson also knows this window of competition is but a moment in time, and he’s just trying to make the most of it while it lasts.
“There’s no guarantees in this sport,” he said. “You definitely want to take advantage of the fitness when you have it.”
And now, with his name living atop some of the most prestigious lists in the country? Well, the chip might still be there. But so is the grounding. Humility and motivation can indeed co-exist, even if one of his newest goals is chasing after one of DeHaven’s records.
“Just trying to stay humble and realize (God) has given me this opportunity to glorify Him,” Larson said.
