Hull of a Rise

The rise of NSW distance runner Jessica Hull over the past 15 months has been breathtaking. She has progressed from a competitive teenage distance runner to, at just 22, a top-4 Australian all-time over 1500m and 5000m.

In the last 11 years only Linden Hall (at 1500m) has run faster than Hull over 1500m and 5000m. But the story of her rise is due to the program her father/coach, Simon, implemented through her teenage years, described by Jessica as: “meticulously planned throughout my junior development to built the foundation I have now.”

Growing up in Wollongong, Hull started running in year two at her primary school cross country carnival.
“The cross country carnival was mandatory once you got to year two so it was my first introduction to running and I loved it. I started Little Athletics with Albion Park Little A’s later that year when the season started.”
She was coached by her father Simon Hull, who had himself been a good teenage half-miler.
Jessica recalls those early years of training.
“We never overreached in training or in the level of racing and I believe this has been the crucial key to having room to grow and progress as I’ve gotten older and stronger. He always made sure I was enjoying it and taught me how to keep it light and fun.”

At 15, in 2012 she won the national U17 1500m/3000m double in solid times of 4:28/9:53. Two years later she was selected to represent Australia at the World Juniors/U20 Championships where she placed seventh in the 3000m in a PB 9:08. The setting for that championships was Hayward Field which four years later would be the scene of one of her greatest triumphs.

In 2015, Hull took up a scholarship at the University of Oregon. She made a modest start to her first track season 2016, but in 2017 she smashed PBs from 800m to 5000m, taking her 1500m best from 4:20 to 4:13, although she did not qualify for the NCAAs. But 2018 would be a breakthrough year with PBs from 800m to 3000m, two medals at the indoor NCAAs and the crowning achievement of winning the NCAA 1500m title in 4:08.75. It was very special for Hull.
“Sharing my first NCAA title with a home crowd, all my teammates in the grandstands, my family and my coach at the time (Maurica Powell), was a very special moment and couldn’t have been more fitting. Everyone who was a part of my development as a Duck was there which made it so special. It was a full circle moment for me after competing there in 2014 for the World Junior Championships.”

After the 2018 season her coach, Maurica Powell, moved to University of Washington (where she now coaches Carley Thomas). Hull still had one more year of eligibility and was also starting to think about her post college athletics career, so turned back to her father for guidance.

“I’ve been able to lean on him at anytime over the past four years when I was at the University of Oregon. The last 12 months I relied on him more than ever as we went through a coaching change at Oregon and I started to make decisions about my training environment after graduation, he knows me best so his input has been comforting.”
Jessica had full faith in her father’s coaching and it given her confidence.

“More than anything he has believed I was capable of pretty much everything I’ve done before I’ve actually achieved it. He’s always instilled a ‘why not me’ attitude in me and that’s been crucial a number of times when I’ve been in race settings like NCAA’s last year and the Prefontaine Classic this year where I could have become overwhelmed with the calibre of the field and had a good performance but not a great one. His belief has helped show me I belong out there.“

Just three weeks after her college career closed with a second place at the NCAAs, she took 3.65 seconds from her 1500m PB to move to number four Australian all-time with a time of 4:02.62. She also ran an 800m and mile PB, ahead of her stunning 5000m PB of 15:00.32 in Berlin, making her the third fastest Australian ever, clocking the fastest time by an Aussie for 13 years and was a Doha world championships and Tokyo Olympic qualifier. The timetable in Doha later this month doesn’t allow the double and she has opted for the shorted distance.

In July it was announced Jessica would join the Oregon Project squad, and to be coached by Pete Julian.
Hull has definite goals for her running career.
“Global finals then to competing for medals. Ultimately, I want to get the most out of myself so I can look back one day and be satisfied with the effort I put into my training and preparation. No regrets!”

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Jessica Hull winning the NCAA 1500m in 2018