As a freshman, Liam Hartmann ran a 10:16 in the indoor two-mile. One year later, he crossed the finish line at outdoor divisionals in 9 minutes 12 seconds, breaking the sophomore record and dropping more than a minute off his time.
Hartmann first took up running during COVID-19, mostly as a way to stay in shape. He said he didn’t enjoy it at first, but by middle school he began to take it more seriously. He really got started freshman year when he joined the cross country team. Now a junior, he has become one of the top runners in the state, placing 16th at cross country states last year and eighth in the two-mile at the Meet of Champions, where all the state’s top runners compete, regardless of division.
In the week of Sept. 6, Hartmann was named one of the Runners of the Week by The Boston Globe.
Michael Glennon, head coach of varsity and JV boys cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track, first met Hartmann during his freshman year of cross country. Glennon said he was immediately impressed by Hartmann’s dedication and his drive to push himself to improve.
“He’s very coachable, just does what he’s told, does it to the best of his ability, and intends to work hard every day and just let the process work,” Glennon said.
Theodore Butty, senior and captain on varsity cross country, first met Hartmann in his sophomore year. Butty said he and Hartmann have recently been pushing through workouts together, feeding off each other’s energy. He said Hartmann’s confidence and personality have grown along with his running success.
“He’s an amazing teammate, and it’s been wonderful sharing the spotlight with him for the past couple of years,” Butty said. “I’ve been lucky enough to see him bloom into who he is today, which is a very outspoken guy, always talking to people and having fun.”
Hartmann said training alongside talented runners like Butty has motivated him to improve.
“It’s definitely so cool to look up to all the runners and push to try to be with them through the years,” Hartmann said. “It’s a super supportive team. Everyone always lifts each other up, especially after bad races.”
Butty said he knew big things were ahead for Hartmann, especially after last year, when Butty missed much of the cross country season with sickness and injury, and Hartmann stepped up to help secure the state title for the team.
Last year, Hartmann shattered Butty’s sophomore record of 9:17 in the two-mile, running 9:12, placing third. He said running with Butty motivated him.
“It was definitely my best race ever. It felt amazing from the beginning, and I realized how controlled I was the whole time,” Hartmann said. “Running with Theodore really helped, the team aspect of it. Whenever I do the best, it’s because I’m running with a good teammate, and that’s always really nice and motivating.”
Glennon said Hartmann has already proven himself to be one of the best runners in the state. For now, coaching staff are focused more on the process than on the outcome; working every day, staying consistent and staying healthy, trusting that the results will follow. He said that Hartmann’s growth goes beyond running and that he has matured and developed as a leader and person.
“From physically to emotionally, he has become more outgoing and more of a leader on the team,” Glennon said. “Just someone that I think is very aware of the world, how he fits into it and what everything means to him.”
