By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Most inductees to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame are recognized for feats accomplished in the past, some the distant past. But one inductee from the class of 2025 is still adding to her resume.
Former Kansas State and current national age-group distance star Deb (Pihl) Torneden will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 2 at Washburn University. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
Distance runner Deb (Pihl) Torneden might have earned a spot in the hall of fame for her accomplishments at Kansas State University and shortly thereafter, when she contended for a spot on the United States Olympic team. But it’s what Tornedon has done, and continues to do, in her 40s, 50s and 60s that makes her special.
Torneden holds 22 Kansas age group records in road running, most recently setting the state’s 60-64 year age group records in the mile, two mile, and 5 kilometers. She is the best female runner in Kansas over 60.
And she’s not slowing down.
Growing up on a farm near tiny Falun, Kansas, Torneden discovered at an early age that she loved to run. When she wasn’t helping with chores, she was running in the fields and on dirt roads, discovering her talent.
“Growing up on a farm, I was raised with that work ethic and taught to never give up,” Torneden recalled. “That’s what you do to achieve anything. Kansas is hard-working people. That hard-working attitude was instilled in me, and I applied it to running.”
In an era when girls sports were gradually being added around the state, Torneden joined the Lindsborg (now Smoky Valley) High School track team. She started out as a sprinter before transitioning to distance races. She found her niche and set state records in the 800 and 1600 meters as a senior.
Torneden walked on at Kansas State, a small-town girl and a bit of an unknown to her coaches and teammates. The first cross country race she ever saw, she ran in as a member of the K-State team. But despite her lack of experience, she quickly proved she could compete. The name “Pihl” started popping up in the race results and news stories as she established herself as one of the top distance runners in the Big 8 Conference.
Deb Torneden continues to hold Kansas State school records more than 40 years after completing her Wildcat career. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
Torneden was a four-time NCAA All-American and an eight-time conference champion. As a senior, she was named Big 8 Most Outstanding Performer at the 1984 Big Eight Indoor Conference Championships for winning the mile, 1,000 meters and 4x800 meter relay. She still holds school records for the indoor mile (4:39.06) and outdoor 3,000 meters (9:09.60).
Torneden tried out for the 1984 Olympics in the 3,000 meters, but failed to make the team. Her running career was at a crossroads. But she had recently become acquainted with Fred Torneden, an accomplished runner at Fort Hays State University, who had moved to K-State to train for the Olympic trails in the marathon. He became not just her husband, but a partner who understood the joy of running.
“Fred gets it. I am thankful to have him,” Torneden said. “He’s my best friend, my coach, my training partner, my biggest fan. It’s fun to be able to do this together.”
Rather than hang up her running shoes after college, Torneden found new goals to pursue.
“There was never a point in my life that I thought ‘Now I’m done,’ ” Torneden said. “That desire to push myself and see what I could do never left.”
After taking up marathon running at age 30, Torneden qualified to try out for the Olympics three times. She placed sixth at the 1984 U.S. National Outdoor Track Championships in the 1,500-meter run (4:12.94). She represented the United States in two distance relays in South Korea and China, and the 1995 World Cup Marathon in Greece. And she won the 2015 USATF National Championship in the 15K road race for masters runners over 40 years of age.
When most athletes are reliving their glory days, Torneden continues to win honors. She has been named Kansas Runner of the Year six times (1991, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2013 and 2021).
“The awards are great, but you don’t do it for attention from people,” Torneden said. “God blesses you when use your gifts. I don’t need to be in the spotlight. It’s just instilled in me. I would do it if no one noticed. I just really like to run.”
Torneden’s latest conquest came in 2024 when she helped three other women set an over-60 world record in the 4x800 relay at the USATF Masters National Indoor Track and Field Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
“In running, every few years you move up an age group and it’s like a whole new life,” Torneden said. “You get to go after new records and see what you can do.
“When I went back to competing on the track after not running track for 40 years, that felt like a whole new life. I said, ‘This is what I want to do!’ Especially running indoor, which feels all new to me.”
As an office assistant in the K-State Athletic Department, Torneden is around athletes all day long. It’s doubtful many current Wildcats work as hard at their craft as Torneden does at hers.
“I still get up three hours before I have to be at work in order to train,” Torneden said. “I enjoy training as much as I do the race. I like to push myself to see what I can do. But that takes a lot of hard work and self-discipline.”
Those efforts have earned Torneden a place among 10 individuals who will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on August 2. Tickets for the ceremony and lunch at the Washburn University Union Ballroom at 1700 SW College Ave. are available online at kshof.org.
“I’m just so blessed to be part of this, to be a Kansan and to be honored in this way,” Torneden said. “The flood of memories that it brings to you is really special, and you know that every one of the members of the hall of fame has special stories of their own. To share that is awesome.”
