Photo by Joshua Grenade
Starnes images - 3
Former Vestavia Hills High School track standout Ethan Strand is off to a fast start in his pro career, qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The event runs Sept. 13-21.
Ethan Strand didn’t turn pro quietly. He showed up in a Nike kit at Hayward Field in June, won his debut race, then backed it up with a 3:30.25 runner-up finish at the U.S. Championships — qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. It was a summer surge that made official what the Vestavia Hills community has known for years: he’s not coming out of nowhere. He’s arriving right on time.
After years of watching national-caliber distance runners pass through without quite breaking into the next tier, Alabama’s fastest-ever is now heading to the global stage.
Strand’s rise has never been about flash. He comes from a family that shaped the Alabama distance running scene. His parents — Scott and Lori Strand — were collegiate runners and coaches, and are now known throughout the state as the backbone behind The Trak Shak running store and decades of youth and collegiate development.
At Vestavia Hills, Ethan didn’t just win — he redefined dominance: 14 individual state championships, a state 5K record, and two Alabama Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year awards. But it wasn’t just the medals. His high school years were shaped by teammates like James Sweeney, who took him on long runs as a freshman, and rivals who became friends — including Parker Wolfe, now his professional training partner.
That continuity carried into college. At the University of North Carolina, Strand trained under head coach Chris Miltenberg, who slowed his early expectations and focused on building strength. The results paid off in historic fashion. In February, Strand ran a 3:48.32 indoor mile to break the NCAA record. One month earlier, he had broken the NCAA indoor 3,000-meter record in 7:30.15. He followed that up with an NCAA title in the 3,000 meters just 24 hours after finishing second in the Distance Medley Relay — a night that showed as much emotional resilience as it did speed.
“If I don’t enjoy it, I won’t run as well,” Strand said in March. “And I’ve learned to love it again.”
After closing out his college eligibility, Strand signed with Nike and stayed under the guidance of Miltenberg, continuing to train with Wolfe. He moved to Colorado and began adjusting to altitude for the first time in his life. Ten days after arriving, he toed the line for his pro debut and won the international mile — a confidence reset after falling short in the NCAA DMR.
“When I get beat, I don’t like to let it happen again right away,” Strand told FloTrack after the race. “And usually I’m able to come back and turn some losses into wins.”
That instinct proved useful again in Eugene. Running against Olympic gold medalist Cole Hocker and a field of seasoned professionals, Strand positioned himself smartly in the U.S. Championship final. When the last lap came, he surged — taking the lead with less than 100 meters to go before being edged by Jonah Koech in the final strides. But he held on for second, secured a spot on Team USA, and ran a personal best of 3:30.25.
In the post-race pool interview, Strand reflected on his approach: “I think I had to use a lot of energy going into the backstretch to get myself in position... but I’m strong enough right now that I got to the finish line in the top three,” he said. “I definitely went for the win.”
When asked how he held together through a long season, he pointed to variety. “We’ve been doing different training and I’ve been running different races. It’s not about doing the same thing,” he said. “Just trying to keep myself excited about racing and training.”
More than anything, though, it was belief.
“If I’m there with 200 meters to go, I trust myself against anybody in the world,” Strand said. “The United States is the best country in the world from 1500 right now. If I can come out there and compete here and place really high, I can do the same thing at Worlds.”
Strand will represent Team USA this September in Tokyo at the World Athletics Championships, scheduled for Sept. 13-21. The men’s 1500-meter heats begin Sept. 14, with the final set for later in the meet. He’ll remain under Miltenberg’s coaching, continue training with his Chapel Hill crew for now, and begin planning for a longer-term base in Flagstaff. For those closest to him — from his teammates at Vestavia to runners who passed through Trak Shak over the last decade — it’s not a surprise. It’s the natural next lap.
“When you finish a race and do better than you ever have, it’s a feeling you can’t beat,” Strand said earlier this year. “The only way to get that feeling again is to do it again.”
And now, the world will get to see just how many times he can.
