Hobbs Kessler, one of the best distance runners to ever come out of Ann Arbor (and there have been a few), distanced himself from all the rest this past weekend. Kessler won the World Road Running Mile in Riga, Latvia, and set a world’s record by five seconds with his time of 3:56.13.
Kessler ran for Skyline before turning professional in 2021.
During his senior year at Skyline, Kessler crossed the finish line with the third fastest time in the 25-year history of the MHSAA State Finals at Michigan International Speedway. That year the State Finals was split into two races and he ended up in second place with his time of of 14:51.79.
Kessler was a two-time state champion as a senior and helped lead the Eagles to fourth place at the Division 1 Track & Field State Championship at East Kentwood High School in November 2021. Kessler won both the 800m (1:54.13) and 1600m (4:16.68) races at the state finals and anchored the 4x800m team which narrowly lost to Novi by 0.03 of a second.
