Persistence, patience pay off for McDonough

Tommy McDonough bided his time. Then, he shifted gears. 

At March’s Homewood Invitational, the Hoover High School senior perfectly executed a familiar strategy en route to victory in the boys 1,600-meter run. 

He sat and kicked. 

“The whole race I was thinking, ‘It’s going to be a fun last 200 [meters]; it’s going to be fast,’” McDonough said. 

His full-throttle final half lap vaulted him from fifth place to first. He crossed the finish line in 4 minutes, 29.62 seconds, only a couple steps ahead of his nearest competitors.

“I just tried to get myself in a good position at the start of the last lap,” McDonough said. “From there, I kicked. That’s really all there is to it.”

This simple strategy has yielded major dividends for McDonough throughout his final year of high school. He used it in the fall to capture the Class 7A state cross-country championship by one-tenth of a second, in 15:39.7. He deployed it again at February’s state indoor track and field meet, where he took first in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs. 

The three triumphs represented the first individual state titles of his career. They were well earned. 

McDonough had finished as the state runner-up five times prior to his victory in cross-country.  All five second-place finishes occurred on the track, in events ranging from the 800 to 3,200 meters. 

His persistence — and patience — paid off. 

“A lot of my really good runners in the past, their junior year was their best year as far as state championships,” said Hoover cross-country and track and field coach Devon Hind.  “Right now, his senior year is his best year.”

A number of factors have contributed to McDonough’s shining senior campaign. Consistency is one of them. 

After missing two months of running last summer due to a stress fracture in his foot, McDonough’s training has steadily improved. His health hasn’t faltered since his mid-August return. 

“He hasn’t been hurt. He hasn’t really been sick. In the past, he’s kind of been sick some, and that’s hurt him,” Hind said. “He’s just been able to be consistent, and that’s how you get better.”

McDonough’s consistency has created confidence, which is imperative to success in a sport that challenges both mind and body. The state cross-country victory boosted McDonough’s sense of self-belief. It has snowballed from there. 

“He’s really cool under pressure,” said teammate John Paul Rumore. “When we hand him the baton or anything in a relay or stuff, we know he’s going to do what it takes.”

Composure and conviction have become McDonough trademarks, and they are visible whenever he steps on the track. Placidness overwhelms panic regardless of his position. With a 4:13 personal best in the mile, he knows what he is capable of at the end of a race. 

Experience breeds bliss. 

“He just goes out and does his thing,” Hind said. 

This year, that “thing” has involved a lot of winning. In addition to garnering individual accolades, McDonough, an Auburn University signee, helped spur the Hoover boys to their first state indoor track and field title in three years. Paced by their standout, the Bucs are projected to contend for another blue trophy at the state outdoor meet in May.

That’s where McDonough’s lens is trained. 

“It’s pretty much all about the team,” he said. 

Revealed in that statement is perhaps the most critical factor responsible for McDonough’s leap. He said he has become more team-oriented over the years, and now places paramount priority on the Bucs’ overall success. 

Rumore has witnessed McDonough’s commitment in action. He remembers it surfacing last spring at the state outdoor meet, when McDonough shed tears due to the furious pace he ran in his leg of the 4x800-meter relay.

McDonough clocked a blistering split of 1:53 for 800 meters. Although the Bucs placed second, he laid it all on the line for his teammates. 

“He was telling us he went out so fast the first lap that he was crying, but I don’t know if that was because of the pain,” Rumore said. “That just makes me think of how much he cares about the team. That might be the biggest thing that’s contributed to his success.”