John Lester Season 2023-24
PositionMID. DISTANCE
ClassSophomore
HometownPleasanton, Calif.
TFRRS Performance Profile
Career Accolades
- Second-team indoor All-American (800)
- Stanford indoor 800 school-record holder
- Three-time West Region XC team champions (2021, 2022, 2023)
- Two-time Pac-12 XC team champions (2022, 2023)
- Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic (2022, 2023)
- Three-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (XC 2023; T&F winter 2023, spring 2023)
Personal Bests (thru 2023 outdoors)
- 800: 1:46.93i
- Mile: 3:58.84i
- 1,500: 3:45.50
As a Junior (2023-24)
Cross Country * Pac-12 Champions * NCAA West Region Champions
Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
As a Sophomore (2022-23)
Outdoors
- Did not compete
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
Indoors
- Second-team All-American in the 800
- Placed 10th at the NCAA Championships
- Broke school indoor 800 record for any-sized track by running 1:46.93 to win the Ken Shannon Invitational
- Twice ran a sub-4 mile, including 3:58.84 at the Razorback Invitational
- Won the Windy City Invitational 800 in 1:48.49
- USTFCCCA All-Academic
- Academic All-District
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
Cross Country * Pac-12 Champions * West Region Champions
- Raced three times
- Best finish was 27th at the USF Invitational
As a Freshman (2021-22)
Outdoors
- Advanced to the NCAA West Prelims in the 800
- Ran season 800 best of 1:48.49 to win the Payton Jordan Invitational
- Moved to No. 3 on Stanford's all-time freshmen list
- Big Meet 800 winner
- USTFCCCA All-Academic team
Indoors
- Ran season 800 best of 1:48.71 to place third at Pac-12 Invite
- Moved to No. 4 in the 800 and No. 9 in the DMR on Stanford's all-time indoor list
Cross Country
- Made collegiate debut by placing 13th at the Sacramento State Invitational
Prior to Stanford
- The No. 1 high school 800-meter runner in the country in 2021, with a time of 1:47.65
- That came in winning at the Stumptown Twilight meet in Portland, Ore., on June 3, 2021
- The time is the seventh-fastest performance in high school history and makes Lester the sixth-fastest performer in history
- Lester is the third-fastest high school runner in California history
- His 1:48.26 at the Desert Dream Last Hurrah Invitational in San Tan Valley, Arizona, made him the third-fastest nationally by a junior and No. 1 among high schoolers in the country in 2020
- Dropped his best 1,600 time by 24 seconds, to 4:05.46, in one year
- The highest-placing sophomore at the 2019 California State Meet, in seventh
- In the prelims of the same meet, Lester rolled off a 48.6 split in the 4x400 relay to help the Dons reach the final
- Was the 2019 NCS Meet of Champions and NCS Tri-Valley Area 800 champion
- Won another NCS Tri-Valley Area 800 title in 2021
- Sixth at the 2021 Brooks PR Invitational in the 800 (1:50.57)
Personal
- Parents are Elizabeth and Timothy Lester
- Has four siblings: Elise, Mark, Timothy, and Christian
- Considering a career as a clinical psychologist or behavior analyst, with an interest in exploring voter behavior and environmental influences on one’s political ideology
- Eagle Scout
- Co-founded Amador Valley High’s Politics Club
Career Results
| Year | Season (Meets) | Event | Season Best | Conf. | Region | NCAA |
| 2023-24 | Cross Country (2) | 8K | 25:18.0 | 63 (25:18.0) | -- | -- |
| 2022-23 | Outdoors (0) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Indoors (7) | 800 | 1:46.93 | -- | -- | 10 (1:50.03) | |
| Mile | 3:58.84 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| DMR | 9:31.02 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Cross Country (3) | 8K | 24:46.8 | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2021-22 | Outdoors (7) | 800 | 1:48.49 | 9 (1:55.15) | 22 (1:49.75) | -- |
| 1,500 | 3:45.50 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 4x400 | 3:20.62 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Indoors (4) | 800 | 1:48.71 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Mile | 4:06.65 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| DMR | 9:29.57 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Cross Country (2) | 8K | 24:46.3 | -- | -- | -- |