Nathan Henderson overcomes mental struggles in breakout sixth year

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All distance runners dream about breaking the four-minute mile. Nathan Henderson couldn’t help but think about the last six years he’s spent training once he finally posted a 3:59.43 at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic in 2022.

“It’s kind of that one milestone that some people will set you apart from other people,” Henderson said.

During Henderson’s high school years, he was one of the best long-distance runners in Pennsylvania. At J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Henderson swept both the 1600m and 3200m races as a freshman and earned All-State recognition his senior year after winning the 3200m at the PIAA Class 3A State Championships.

After enrolling at Syracuse, Henderson dealt with some anxiety before the coaching staff at SU helped him find joy in the sport. Now, in his redshirt-senior season, Henderson’s enjoying a breakout year.

In 2017, as a freshman in college, Henderson opted to redshirt. He decided to take the time to better adapt to the collegiate running scene. Two years later, Syracuse’s cross country team won the 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, its sixth victory in seven years. Yet, behind the success, Henderson struggled with a series of mental constraints, most notably dealing with race anxiety. He would get nervous and worried before each competition.

“When you get out on the line, you just kind of try to drown all, like drown all that out,” Henderson said. “Focus on getting to the end of the race as fast as you can.”

Syracuse head coach Brien Bell helped Henderson deal with his doubts. When it came to Henderson, Bell didn’t assert as much pressure on him as he did with the other runners.

“We’re not putting people on the moon, we’re not trying to cure cancer,” Bell said. “We’re just trying to run, try to keep it fun and take the pressure off like this should be.”

With Bell’s assistance, Henderson found confidence. He learned how to run stronger and mastered the way to close out the final lap of the mile. Henderson improved at maintaining a steady pace and avoided wasting energy toward the beginning.

“All it takes is dedication and a good head on your shoulders to try to push through the mental blocks,” Henderson said.

Henderson found his breakthrough in the 1500m. In the 2022 NCAA East Preliminary Round, he produced nearly a five-second improvement between the prelims (3:46.37) and semifinals (3:41.85), qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

In this year’s outdoor season, at the Wake Forest Invitational on Apr. 21, Henderson crossed the finish line in 3:40.14, almost eclipsing his personal best in the 1500m.

“You just gotta wait until one breaks out,” Henderson said. “You just gotta keep building, stacking brick on brick, all the workouts, all the races come to fruition sometime.”

Throughout all six years, Bell witnessed Henderson’s growth from a rookie to veteran. He said, along the way, Henderson extended his distance threshold by racing in the 5000m and 10000m, events that he never ran in high school.

“In terms of a person, he is enjoyable and athletically he is special, ” Bell said. “We’ve been lucky to have him for six years.”