Mary Hanlon
High School Honors
4 cross country letters: Individual PIL Champion as a sophomore and junior; State Champion as a sophomore. On four successive PIL Championship teams and State Championship team as a junior.
4 track & field letters: PIL Champion as a junior in 800m, 1500m and 4x400m relay. On PIL and State Championship team as a senior.
At one time or another Mary held Lincoln or PIL records in the mile, 1500m, 880 yard, 800m, two-mile and 3000m as well as relays in the mile and 1600m. Seaside Marathon record for 14-year-old, 3:14:43.
Post-High School Career
University of Oregon track & field team, 1981; University of California track & field and cross-country teams, 1981-85.
Earned two B.A. degrees from Cal in Political Science and Ethnic Studies and Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA, 1991-93.
Founder, Hanlon RealEstate Development, 1996. Port of The Dalles commissioner, 2023-25. Board of Ireland/U.S.Business Council, 2018-26.
Political appointment to U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, 1993-96, and staff member of U.S. House Select Committee on Aging, 1988-91.
Commentary
It is hard to remember a time when I wasn’t interested in running, or sports of any kind, for that matter. Some of my earliest memories include asking my dad to time me. Then I would run out the front door, around the house, and back in, waiting for him to call out my time. Running is a family tradition. Our father was an outstanding runner; his college records at Dartmouth held for decades.
What I love most about running is how pure it is. I wasn’t prevented from running the way I was from playing Little League. It’s not a sport dependent on who the coach liked the most. It didn’t matter if you couldn't buy the best equipment. You can run barefoot if you want to. It’s you against the clock, and hopefully good competitors to help you push yourself harder.
My brother, Michael, shared my love of running, and he taught me how to break through, how to go from an average runner to a very good runner. He taught me how to push through discomfort, find the strength to keep going, and dig deeper.
As with so many athletes, there were challenges at home that had to be lived with in. Running, especially distance running, was a terrific outlet. After school on a cold, rainy winter day, you could throw on a T-shirt, shorts, and shoes, and run up Terwilliger or around Fairmont.
Weekends, we would meet up with friends for long runs through Forest Park. During track and cross country, we spent hours up in Washington Park, on Skyline Drive, and beyond. You could always count on Coach (David) Bailey for a “Gut Buster!” shout.
Running meant a lot to me. To this day, in my business life, I still push and dig deeper than is reasonable. My endurance skills serve me well. I’m still friends with runners I competed against from different schools. My “live/work balance” is seeing what can be accomplished when we commit our mind, body, and spirit to a positive outcome.
My greatest pride and joy is my daughter, Maya, who is very accomplished in her own right. My sister, Suzanne, was a teammate on our mile relay team and we both remember that fondly.
I’m privileged and honored to be recognized for my running accomplishments at Lincoln High School.
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