Hastings’ Caitlin Thomas: Born To Run

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Thomas atop the podium after winning the state Class C 3,000 meter race

June 16, 2025

By Tom Pedulla–

No one pushes Caitlin Thomas harder than she does. And the results have been extraordinary as she concludes a stellar track career at Hastings High School.

Thomas recently won the Class C state championship at 3,000 meters. She produced a spectacular performance, slicing 13 seconds off her previous personal best with a time of 9:29.08.

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Last November, Thomas accomplished a major goal when she willed her way to the Class C state cross-country title. One of her strongest memories from that competition is the overwhelming fatigue she felt when it was over, a testament to the tremendous effort she had put in.

She earned All-American honors in the 2,000-meter Steeplechase New Balance Nationals at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field as a junior and in 5,000 meters as a senior at the Nike Indoor Nationals at the iconic Armory in New York.

Not surprisingly, she was heavily recruited by colleges and will attend Georgia Tech in August to continue her headlong pursuit of excellence. “I want to do the best I can,” said Thomas. “It’s something I’ve always had. I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself.”

Caitlin has been running since the third grade, but she said she did not begin to push herself in competition until the spring of her eighth-grade year. With the close of her Hastings career at hand, she can finally take a deep breath and appreciate her achievements. “I’m really proud of it. I worked really hard and I just had a really great experience. I’m super grateful for that,” she said. “I’m super grateful for my teammates, my coaches and my family. I really couldn’t have done it without them and their support. It was such a great experience and I’m lucky to be a part of it.”

Hastings coach Molly Guilfoyle views Thomas as the complete package. “Caitlin has a deep love of racing as well as a highly-competitive nature,” she said. “That drive keeps her motivated in practice and in meets. She never shies away from competition.”

The determination to go hard in every workout has been richly rewarded in developing superior stamina. When others are faltering, Thomas is finding another gear. “She is an aerobic beast but also has great finishing speed, which is a lethal combination,” Guilfoyle said.

Thomas is forever chasing faster times. “It’s really fun to go out there and see what you can do and push yourself,” she said. “It’s really fun and rewarding.”

As she reflects on the past and looks to the future, she cannot help but to have mixed emotions. “I’m definitely going to miss everybody at Hastings. They are amazing people and I loved every minute of it. So many different people did things for me along the way. I could go on forever,” she said. “But I’m also really excited for this new chapter.”

She was extremely impressed by the coaching staff in choosing Georgia Tech. “They really showed their passion for the sport and how much they cared about the team,” she said. “I really can’t wait to get out on the track and start training with them.”

In certain aspects, Guilfoyle believes Thomas is only beginning to show what she can do. “I feel that she has lots of potential and will flourish at Georgia Tech,” she said. “We have kept her mileage pretty conservative for someone of her caliber and increased it gradually each year, which gives her a lot of room for improvement at the collegiate level. “I think she will really excel in the longer-distance races that are routinely run in college, first in the 5,000 meters and eventually the 10,000 meters.”

Thomas plans to major in psychology at Georgia Tech. She has yet to set goals for her college career. Her immediate focus is on making various adjustments that will be required, from getting accustomed to life away from home to becoming acquainted with new teammates while preparing to step up from a relatively small school to Division 1 competition.

As always, she will relish the challenge.

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