Hurdles, Heart, and Medals: Chandler Brady

As the starter raised the gun for the 300-meter hurdles at the IHSA State Finals, Chandler Brady stood in lane three—arms loose, head bowed. Just before settling into his blocks, he whispered the prayer he says before every race: “Dear God, bear witness as I show the strength of your creation.”

His nerves buzzed with energy. When the gun went off, he ran his race.

When he sprinted across the finish line, he didn’t know where he had placed. Then he found his name on the scoreboard—fifth in the state—it hit him: He had earned a medal at state in a race he’d never attempted until this season. He had medaled at state—and clocked a new personal record.

“I was relieved and happy,” Chandler said. “I had already PR’d in prelims two days earlier—40.8 seconds. Then in the finals, I dropped to 40.1. I was kind of surprised I could do that. That’s a .7-second drop in two days.”

But that wasn’t his only medal.

Chandler also earned 9th place in the long jump, making him a two-time state medalist. He competed in the triple jump as well, finishing 23rd overall—a strong showing in one of the most competitive fields in the state.

Still, the hurdles stood out.

“That race was different,” Chandler said. “It was the one that challenged me the most.”

The Road to State Medals

While Chandler only started competing in the 300-meter hurdles his junior year, hurdling wasn’t entirely new to him. He ran the 110-meter hurdles in middle school.

“The one meet that I ran it at, I took last,” he recalls. “Someone fell in front of me, and I kind of stepped out of my lane, so I wasn’t sure if I was disqualified. I kept running, but I just didn’t really like it after that.”

So, he put hurdles behind him and focused on sprints and long jump. But this season, Chandler was looking for a new challenge. “I figured I got two more years left of high school, so I might as well try something new. I’d pretty much tried everything else.”

He approached longtime track and field coach John Vander Kamp—better known as Coach VK—about trying hurdles again. Known for spotting raw talent and pouring time into his athletes, Coach VK saw potential in Chandler.

“If you tell Coach VK you want to put in extra work,” Chandler said, “he will too.”

And that’s exactly what they did.

The 300-meter hurdles is one of the most grueling events in track and field—equal parts technique, endurance, and mental grit. Chandler already had speed, but hurdles require more than just fast legs.

“I had a hard time with the flexibility part,” Chandler admitted. “There’s a different type of flexibility that I really needed to work on to make sure I could clear the hurdles without clipping them—and still keep my speed between them.”

On cold or rainy days, they set up hurdles in the school hallways and drilled form over and over. From stride patterns to lead-leg drills, it was a crash course in discipline.

“It was really him giving me a lot of his time outside of just practice after school to make sure I got the technique down,” he said.

Setbacks and Strength

The results came quickly. At his first meet of the season, Chandler placed second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.8 seconds. He won the 300-meter hurdles with a 42.83.

Still, there were setbacks—both physical and mental.

At an invitational in Michigan, Chandler clipped a hurdle and “completely wiped out.” He rolled over his shoulder, jumped back up, and still managed to finish fifth.

Then, at Chicago Christian, he fell in both hurdle races. “As soon as I got over the last hurdle in the 110s, I just couldn’t stay on my feet. I went right to the ground.”

It was hard. And humbling.

“I had just fallen in front of all these people and got last,” he said. “Little mistakes add up in hurdles. They slow you down through the entire race, so it’s really hard to come back from those.”

But Chandler didn’t let failure define him.

“After I thought about everything, I just had a lot more drive and motivation to keep practicing with Coach—to make sure that never happened again.”

Running—and Faith

Chandler’s season was shaped by discipline, hard work, and perseverance—but it was also deeply rooted in faith.

Running, in many ways, mirrored his walk with Christ: overcoming obstacles, trusting the process, and pushing forward even when the path wasn’t smooth.

Coach VK helped cultivate that mindset. He led team devotionals and often shared Bible verses during practice—reminding the team that their identity wasn't found in medals or finish times, but in Christ.

“Coach VK made it clear that what we’re doing on the track is important,” Chandler said, “but it’s not who we are. We’re more than athletes.”

After every meet—especially the tough ones—Coach VK would ask, “How do you feel about that race? What do you think went wrong?” It wasn’t just about technical analysis. It was about reflection, growth, and accountability—core to both running and faith.

“That’s what the next practice would be built around—fixing whatever went wrong,” Chandler said. “And that’s what I think faith looks like too. You mess up, you reflect, and you come back stronger.”

Eyes on What’s Ahead

Chandler is a rising senior, a two-time school record holder, and a fierce competitor who’s working for more. When you run at his level, you’re always looking for ways to improve. And while fifth in the state in the 300-meter hurdles was his breakout performance, earning a state medal in long jump and qualifying in three different events is a testament to his versatility and dedication, he’s already training for next season. 

“I’d love to get back to state and try to place even higher,” he says. “I know what to expect now. And I know what I need to work on.”

“I couldn’t have done it without my coaches, teammates, and the support of my family,” he says. “It’s been an amazing experience.”

He’s also open to the possibility of running in college. “If that’s where God leads me, I’d be excited to keep running.”

For now, Chandler is simply thankful—for his coach, his teammates, and the quiet strength that carries him from the blocks to the finish line.