Growing up as a younger brother of a very successful runner can have an interesting journey. Layton Hall is not the first runner of his family to dominate cross courses for the Knights. In 2017, Logan Hall set the Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (ALAH) program standard by taking second in the state championship, clocking a school-record 14:30. Now at the University of Illinois competing for the Illini, Layton is NOW the big man on the Arthur campus.
After earning all-state honors as a sophomore, Layton Hall struggled at times during his junior year which resulted in a very disappointing performance at state, taking 37th. To make matters worse, the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to the 2020 track and field season in early March.
Hall had plenty of time on his hands and he used it wisely by training like a madman during the spring, summer, and fall. The big payoff was that he was mentally ready to take on all challengers. From the onset, Hall's talent kept him on the pre-season premium 50 boys individual ratings radar. As things unfolded, he would clock a PB 14:53 and finish first or second in every race through sectionals, only losing to standout Ryder James of PBL.
As for Hall's team, the Knights were state-ranked throughout the season, finishing up in the #7 slot.
On to the final destination would be the Shazam Championships, the Knights would conclude their best ever season with a runner-up finish to Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy 90-102. In that affair, Hall would take sixth overall on the rough 5k oval with a time of 15:58. Arguably, this was his best-ever high school race and it happened at the right time and place. For the future Indiana State University Sycamore, Hall appears happy and ready for a bright future.