By MIKE BEACOM
of The Gazette
Few prep athletes in Wisconsin, even the nation, can relate to the kind of attention Suzy Favor Hamilton received in high school.
Favor Hamilton, a 1986 graduate of Stevens Point Area Senior High, was so dominant in track and cross country that winning a race wasn't just expected, it was certain.
And, along with her 11 state high school titles, three USA Junior titles in the 1,500-meter and numerous records and recognition, came a spotlight that hasn't stopped following her to this day.
"High school was one of the toughest times for me," said Favor Hamilton (Suzy Favor in those days). "Everybody was expecting me to win. At an early age, I knew what pressure was and I didn't really like it."
SPASH cross country coach Mike Olson recalls that at a meet in Kettle Moraine once, the home school's band surrounded Favor Hamilton after she had won and started playing to her.
What Favor Hamilton found to satisfy her fans and cure the pressures of winning was to simply train harder. The greater the pressure, the more intense her work regimen became.
"I just learned that to be the best I had to work even harder," said Favor Hamilton.
She first discovered her love of running in fifth grade. In gym class, when boys and girls ran together, Favor Hamilton left both sets of peers behind.
"I loved beating the boys," said Favor Hamilton. "That's where my competitiveness started."
In the elementary track meet that year, Favor Hamilton won the 400 meters, but chose not to run in the 800 or 1,500 meters.
"At the time, that just seemed too far for me," said Favor Hamilton. "I remember being in awe of the distance runners."
Her first organized running came two years later when she joined her sister Kris as a member of the Stevens Point Area Running Club.
By the time she was in ninth grade, her running was so well respected that she was asked to compete with the high school's cross country team.
In the next four years, Favor Hamilton won four state cross country titles, something no other state runner has accomplished.
When track was in season, Favor Hamilton was just as dominant. She won an additional seven state titles and likely would have won two or three more if illness hadn't limited her participation at the state meet her senior year.
Along with all the rewards came her continuing efforts to push herself farther and work harder.
Some days, Favor Hamilton would grab a few of her teammates to run four miles at 6 a.m., while her classmates, and many of her competitors, were pushing the snooze button on the alarm clocks.
"Everybody was safe and warm in their beds and here we were out running," said Favor Hamilton. "It made you feel pretty tough."
One thing Olson credits her with was being a gracious winner. No matter by how much she was winning, or whom she was racing, Favor Hamilton always gave the best of herself.
"She respected her opponents, even though she destroyed them," said Olson. "She always realized how hard other people worked."
When she concluded her career at SPASH, she was the closest thing Stevens Point had to a national celebrity. She had been featured in Sports Illustrated's 'Faces in the Crowd' in its Dec. 16, 1985, issue and newspapers state-wide were asking where she would run in college.
To put in perspective just how big of a story Favor Hamilton was, the Wausau daily paper selected her the year's top area sports story in 1985 over Terry Porter's senior year and first-round National Basketball Association selection.
SPASH paid tribute to its most decorated athlete during halftime of the boy's basketball game against Wisconsin Rapids with the unveiling of a 40x60-inch photo of her which still hangs in its halls today.
"What a wonderful thing to have your school honor you in such a way," said Favor Hamilton. "It says a lot about the people at that school."
A few months later, Favor Hamilton went on to run with a higher level of competition.
The large spotlight that had been cast on her since her early days running for SPASH, was something Favor Hamilton was hoping she could lose when she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"I felt less pressure when I went to Wisconsin because it was a bigger city and there was a faster runner ahead of me," she said.
Favor Hamilton's presumption that the Badgers' Stephanie Herbst would relieve her of that pressure was short-lived. After finishing second to Herbst in the team's first race of the season, Favor Hamilton never lost to her again.
At Madison, Favor Hamilton won nine NCAA titles, 23 Big Ten Championships and 14 All-American Awards. The Big Ten Conference named her Athlete of the Year so many times, the award is now called, "The Suzy Favor Award."
Favor Hamilton excelled in the 800 and her forte, the 1,500-meter, and finished her career at Madison as the NCAA Championships record holder in both events. She also won an unprecedented four NCAA 1,500-meter outdoor titles.
In 56 collegiate finals, Favor Hamilton only lost two races and at one point had a 40-race winning streak.
When she graduated from Madison in 1991, she was recognized as the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Decade.
In the past decade, Favor Hamilton has continued to set new standards in the running world.
She's been a three-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000), won six national championships and became one of only two American women to run the 1,500-meter in under four minutes (the other being Mary Decker-Slaney).
Favor Hamilton has also done well promoting herself, appearing in national advertisements for major sponsors like Nike and Reebok and being featured in magazines ranging from Rolling Stone to Cosmopolitan and Vogue.
At an age when runners are supposed to slow down, Favor Hamilton continues to reach new levels.
"People are amazed that I'm still running at my age," said Favor Hamilton. "But, at 33, I'm running faster than I ever have."
Last year in Oslo, Favor Hamilton ran the 1,500-meter in 3:57.40, the second fastest time by an American.
"I'm going to keep going until my body slows down. But at this point, that hasn't happened," she said.
A big reason for Favor Hamilton's success is that she hasn't let anything take the fun out of training and competing, a skill she learned from Olson.
"I really enjoy what I do and I got that from him," said Favor Hamilton.
"I'm always joking and making a fool of myself to lighten up the runners," said Olson. "It's really easy to lose your dedication if you're not enjoying what you're doing."
Another person Favor Hamilton credits with building her love of running was her sister, Kris.
"We trained together and we hung out together," said Favor Hamilton. "I idolized the way she handled my success, being my older sister. No matter what, I was always her little sister."
The book on Favor Hamilton still has a few chapters to write, but she has already been enrolled into an elite class of runners in history.
Scholastic Sports Magazine recently named her one of their Top 100 High School Athletes of the Century.
Of why she made the list as one of the county's top athletes, one panelist said, "It's a no brainer just by all the things she's accomplished. She was an incredibly gifted athlete. I wouldn't be surprised if she were back again at the next Olympics."
Olson may have best summed up why Favor Hamilton deserves to be amongst Portage County's greatest athletes.
Said Olson, "I've had a lot of athletes with talent. And I've had a lot of athletes with heart. She had both. That's what made her exceptional."