BY JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
PHOTOS COURTESY ETHAN LANG
Running a start-up business, competing academically and athletically, all while attending classes and earning a degree can sound daunting to most. For this week’s featured student-athlete, Ethan Lang, the prior statement can be used to describe a typical Tuesday.
Ethan Lang, a Hays native, is a senior at Fort Hays State University working towards a finance degree with a concentration in financial planning. He is on the FHSU men’s track & field team and competes as a middle-distance runner while specializing in the 800m.
Lang says his typical day in the life of a student-athlete starts early in the morning.
“I wake up and go to work on my business for most of the morning and into the early afternoon,” he said. “I meet with clients and work on different projects. Then, I head to practice at 3 p.m. most days. After that, my evenings consist of school work if I have any.”
Lang started his own financial advisory firm, Launch Wealth, eight months ago. Launch Wealth helps people invest and plan for the future. Lang was inspired to start his business after three years of competing as a member of FHSU’s Financial Planning team, where he took fourth in 2020 and third in 2021 and 2022.
Although Lang resembles a super-human on paper, he talks about a few of the struggles he faces with all of the personal projects he has taken on.
“Sometimes wearing different hats is tough for sure. Running track, working on a business, and going to school can definitely be a challenge,” he said.
Additionally, Lang speaks on how he manages this everyday stress.
“Honestly, track is more of a release for me. I’m able to spend time with some of my best friends, all while working towards a common goal,” he said. “Of course, I started running at Fort Hays for the competition and to be able to see how far I could go, but my favorite aspect of running is the relationships I’ve built.”
Lang goes so far as to say that he can truly call some of these teammates family.
“We spend hours a day together, and I look forward to that time every day. Heck, some of them are even in my wedding,” he said.
Not only does Lang feel like the relationships he has built through track feel like family, but one relationship throughout the program’s years is actually his family: Lang is a Fort Hays State University Men’s Track & Field legacy.
Greg Lang, Ethan’s father, also ran at FHSU from 1994-98.
Ethan explains that while his father inspired his adoration for the sport, he found his niche all on his own.
“I’ve always had a love for track because I looked up to my dad, but I think I really started loving track when I started running the 800m and mile in high school because it wasn’t something that he ran,” Lang said. “It was my own, and I took a lot of pride in that.”
After making it to nationals in track the past few years, Lang said his major goals are to be high up on the podium and become a national champion someday – whatever event or relay that might be.
“I’ve got my eye on the 800m school record for indoor and outdoor, and I’m getting closer each race,” he said.
Lang highlights that while being on the track team has definitely taught him the importance of discipline, consistency, and hard work, there was an even more pressing lesson that he has realized somewhere along the way.
“More than anything, it’s taught me how much easier it is to accomplish great things if you’re working towards them with people you love,” he said.
More student-athlete features can be found here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.