Rusty Korhonen was a Track and Cross-Country Star in the 1980s. He had amazing talent, and his career started right here at FHC and progressed to professional racing in the Olympic Trials. This is where his successful career ended.
Rusty didn’t start at a young age in elementary school but later joined the XC team as a freshman in high school. It wasn’t something he was planning on doing but something that was instead suggested for him.
“I started running my freshman year at FHC. I wanted to make the varsity hockey team at FHC, and my father suggested Cross Country to gain endurance.”
Rusty started seeing hints early on about taking a different path in sports. He was invested in hockey, and he was the only one who would enjoy the runs they would do for conditioning. On the last day of the camp, he learned his true talent for running as he broke 10 minutes in the 2 mile around a track during the heat of the summer. The coach pulled his father aside to tell him that Rusty was in the wrong sport, so Rusty joined the XC team his freshman year. That’s where his gifted journey for running began.
At the end of his high school career, Rusty was not ready to stop. He had just accomplished one of the proudest moments of his running career.
“Helping our team qualify for the state meet my senior year at FHC was my proudest moment,” said Rusty. “We worked hard together, and we made it!”
Rusty came close to placing first at states but ended up finishing in 2nd individually. He moved on to nationals for XC to round out his senior season and took 6th place at Nationals.
When track season came around, Rusty put everyone in awe again. He showed up to the Conference finals at West Ottawa ready to go. He went up to the line, ready to race himself as no one was at his level there. He did what he came there to do; he broke the FHC School record running 4:12 for the 1600m, which back then was unheard of. To this day, this would still be a huge accomplishment and is still barely achieved by high school runners. Rusty still holds the high school record and has for 40+ years.
Right after setting that record, he came back for 2 miles, broke the school record, and took first with a 9:22, shocking everyone once again. These were some of his biggest accomplishments throughout his high school career, and the beginning of how his running career would be shaped as he continued to move forward.
Now, his next step began. As he moved to college, he had three choices: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Hillsdale.
Rusty was stuck between Michigan and Wisconsin, but he definitely had some opinions about these schools.
“I did not like my visit to Michigan. The place just didn’t sit well with me for some reason, but my parents still urged me to go to Michigan.”
But then he went to Wisconsin, and when he visited, he knew it was the place for him.
“I fell in love with Wisconsin,” said Rusty.
So, that’s where Rusty decided to move next with his running career. He wasn’t the only great superstar runner from Michigan to go to Wisconsin; Phil Schoensee (a Michigan state champion in XC) would go to Wisconsin too. They would build a strong friendship together throughout college, and it would last past that.
When Rusty got to college, he noticed that there were some big changes compared to high school.
“The atmosphere is much more competitive. We all cared deeply about each other’s success, but it was significantly more individually focused,” said Rusty.”
Also, the weekly mileage would be increased. Rusty was now running 60-80 Miles a week. College was a big change from high school, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the best. He placed very high in XC races, and come nationals of 1985 and 1988, Wisconsin would win NCAA cross country national titles. Rusty would place in the top runners and was one of Wisconsin’s best, as it was a team effort to win that title.
Rusty also ran track for Wisconsin and accomplished another career achievement.
“My title in the Big Ten steeplechase in 1989 is another career accomplishment,” said Rusty.
This rounded out his college running career as he graduated from Wisconsin.
Then next is his biggest step by far, but what would be his last, as this would be the end of his career due to a hamstring injury. The Olympic Trials of 1988 for the 3000m steeplechase. Making it this far is what almost every runner dreams of.
Rusty would compete in the Olympic trials, but he would be met with some adversity.
“The Olympic trials were an intense pressure cooker. You warm up with everyone in your heat and spend a lot of time preparing for the race together with that group of runners,” said Rusty. “Not everyone was focused on the upcoming race, and by the time we stepped to the line, we all felt more relief than anything else. I didn’t prepare myself for it. I just ran it like another race.”
Rusty finished at 8:38, a great time, but sadly, it wasn’t enough for him to be able to join the team. No one had much expectations for him, anyway, as most college runners didn’t make the team at all. But still, Rusty enjoyed the race and planned to come back for the 1992 Olympics. Sadly, this is where his journey would end, as he would have a really bad injury that would end his career.
Rusty enjoyed every moment he had with his teams and missed it, but now he fishes, walks, and tells stories. So, while this concluded his running career, he still gives out advice.
“We all know how hard it is just to put in the mileage. A mile is a mile, no matter if you run it in 5 minutes or 8 minutes, so just getting the work done no matter what is a big accomplishment.”
