The Return Home: Life and Track and Field with Landon Helms
Nick Gruber
Landon Helms is a junior decathlete on the Boise State track and field team. As a multis athlete, he competes in a wide range of events, but his responsibilities extend well beyond the track. Helms is a full-time student working toward early graduation, a husband, soon-to-be father, a diabetic athlete, and a content creator.
Helms’ story begins in Emmett, Idaho, a town of just over 9,000 people, where in sixth grade, he decided to give track and field a try. It was a sport his dad had participated in growing up, and one his older brother was competing in as a high school freshman.
As a middle schooler, very few programs in Idaho had pole vault. So after attending his own after-school practices to work on running and jumping, he would head to the high school where his brother was training to practice pole vault.
In just a year, his dedication to the sport had already taken off.
“I started getting more serious in seventh grade,” said Helms. “That’s when I went to my first National Junior Olympics in Lawrence, Kansas, and tied for third place.”
By eighth grade, Helms was clearing 15 feet on the pole vault, a mark that would have won him a state title if he were competing in the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) Class 4A. After finishing middle school, Helms was ready to test himself against the state’s top high school athletes.
“Once I became a freshman, my immediate mindset was ‘Okay, now I need to beat all the seniors,’” Helms said.
He wasn’t kidding. At the 2019 state championship, Helms won titles in the 110-meter hurdles and the pole vault, setting a IHSAA Class 4A state record in the latter. He also took third in the 300-meter hurdles.
He followed his performances at the state championships with even more impressive marks that summer. At the Junior Olympics, Helms broke the national pole vault record for the 15-16 age group. He jumped 16-01/4, a mark previously held by Armand Duplantis, a current two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Landon’s performances weren't just making waves in Idaho. He was a name on the national stage, and he was poised for another standout year.
SETBACKS
During his sophomore year, Helms suffered a stress fracture in his left foot–every track and field athlete's worst nightmare.
A stress fracture injury is significant enough to stop any athlete from competing, but Helms initially powered through. It was during this time he realized he was capable of competing at the next level, injury or not.
“Before I was completely healthy again, I was competing in Reno,” said Helms. “I ended up clearing 16-10 in my tennis shoes, and between every single jump I had to sit down to get off my feet because it hurt so bad. But that was the moment where I knew I was going to the next level.”
Eventually, the injury required surgery—three times. After a hiatus from competing, he returned for his junior year, claiming state championships in the pole vault and 110m hurdles, again.
As his career continued to sky rocket, adversity struck again. Another injury, this time in his other foot, forced him into another period of rest.
By the time his senior season rolled around, Helms was fully healthy and fully determined.
“I coined my senior year as my comeback year,” he said.
It lived up to the name. He was top five nationally in the 110m hurdles and pole vault, and was the No. 1 decathlon recruit in the country.
THE DECISION
Helms was one of the top high school recruits in the nation. He had conversations with dozens of schools, including UCLA, Stanford, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Michigan. When making his decision, he and his father, Mark, created a tier system with 18 different categories to compare his options.
When all were ranked, one stood out from the rest.
“In my head I thought I needed to go to a big school with more facilities because I thought that would make me a better athlete,” said Helms.
That thinking was evident in his decision, as Landon committed to Texas A&M, a powerhouse program that offered him a full ride. He would be moving from his town of 9,000 people to a university boasting approximately 60,000 undergrads.
But just before Helms arrived on campus, the multis coach who recruited him moved on from the school.
Helms had already signed his paperwork and gone through the admissions process, so he decided to stay the course. After a year at A&M, something shifted.
The sport that helped shape him into who he was became the very thing he wanted to leave behind.
“I honestly debated quitting track and just doing school. My sophomore year, I essentially lost my true self. Yes, I was in Texas and running track, but that isn’t the only thing Landon is. Landon also likes to go camping and hiking, enjoy nature, dirt bike, raft, all of these other activities that I grew up doing, but couldn’t do in Texas.”Landon Helms
BACK TO BOISE
Helms reached a breaking point and decided it was time to come home. Boise State had recently undergone a coaching staff change, and Landon planned to enroll as a student to try and join the team.
“I phrase it like I was a baby in a basket that showed up on their front porch, and they had the choice of either taking me in, or sending me away. And, thankfully, they brought me in with open arms.”
For new multis coach Mark Badowsky, the decision was easy.
“The initial response to Landon joining the team was excitement,” said Badowsky. “We came in as a staff with a very specific goal of building a high-quality jumps and multis program. Then, in walks one of the best athletes in the history of the state of Idaho. It was immediately clear this was a student who had big ambitions, and I knew I needed to meet him where he was to help him get the experience in our sport that he’d been missing.”
Landon quickly connected with the staff, falling in love with the team culture that head coach Pat McCurry and crew were beginning to build.
“The coaching staff here cares about everyone in all aspects of who you are. First and foremost, they care about you as a person, and then they care about you as an athlete.”Landon Helms
He’s been especially influenced by his relationship with his event coach, Badwosky.
“Mark wants to hear feedback from athletes,” Helms said, “He has a very individualized approach where he responds to me differently than he does for other jumpers. My dynamic with Mark doesn’t feel like a coach looking down on an athlete. I feel like we are at the same level where we’re able to banter with each other. It’s like this family dynamic.”
Since joining the Broncos, Helms has rediscovered his spark, and coach Badwosky sees it.
“I’ve watched Landon grow both as a student-athlete and a man since being here,” he said. “Seeing him rediscover the joy in the process of being a student-athlete has been fun to be a part of as a coach.”
He has the results to show for it. He was crowned the Mountain West indoor men’s heptathlon champion and appears in the program’s all-time top-five list five times.
BEYOND THE TRACK
While Helms’ accomplishments on the track are impressive, his life outside of sport tells an equally powerful story.
In August 2024, he married his wife, Amber, in McCall, Idaho. The two are now preparing to welcome their first child, a new chapter that has brought fresh motivation.
“I know I have to step up into a new role,” said Helms. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my family, and I’m glad that I get to continue to have fun running and competing in track to help provide for them.”
That sense of responsibility hasn’t gone unnoticed by his coach.
“I respect his selflessness to put his family first. He communicates well, and we’ve always been able to find balance in what he needs personally compared to what we need to accomplish on the track.”Mark Badowsky
Not only is Helms an athlete, husband, and soon to be father, he is also carving out a path as a content creator.
He began making videos in high school hoping they could help showcase his feats as an athlete and boost his recruiting exposure. Over time, it turned into something he really enjoyed and was a new hobby for him.
Helms has garnered over 10,000 followers on Instagram, with multiple reels exceeding one million views. It's an avenue that has helped build his personal brand, and he plans to keep it in his life moving forward.
“I definitely want to continue with it,” Helms said. “I like the creative freedom of being able to make videos about what I want and earn income off that.”
If that weren’t already enough to keep Helms busy, he also quietly manages something few people see: navigating life with Type 1 diabetes.
Unlike many who are diagnosed in childhood, Helms learned of his condition just over a year ago. In his family, his uncle is the only other person he knows with the same diagnosis. Coincidentally, his uncle is also known as the best athlete in the family, having been recruited by MLB teams out of high school. It’s a connection Helms is able to laugh about.
“We have this joke where we say ‘Oh, you just have to be athletic enough in the family in order to be diabetic,” he said.
Helms is proud of the way he’s handled the transition.
“I feel like I’ve managed the change better than most, and it’s something that can actually help me in the long run. I’ve become a cleaner eater and have a better understanding of my health overall.”Landon Helms
WHAT'S NEXT
With the outdoor season underway, Landon’s goals are clear for both track and life.
“First and foremost, I want to be able to say that Landon Helms was a good husband and a good father,” he said. “Secondly, I am going to go to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.That’s not a matter of opinion, that is the truth.”
Helms also hopes his story can help others, especially kids in Idaho, to chase their dreams. He broke up his advice into three sections.
- “In high school, have fun, don’t stress and have good values. If you do those three things, you will stand out to coaches.”
- “Understand where you’re valued and who you’re valued by.”
- “You’re truly not living unless you’re having fun.”
For those wanting to see Helms in action, Boise State will host its first home track and field meet in six years. The Ed Jacoby Invite will take place April 25, at the Ed Jacoby Track at Dona Larsen Park.