One week. One tough loss. Six days to figure out what comes next.

At the 2026 IHSA Class 3A State Championships, Owen Horeni finished second in the 800m, running 1:51. It wasn’t the ending he wanted. Less than a week later, he lined up again at the HOKA Festival of Miles, fought all the way to the line, and dove for the win in 1:48.58.

That race was the perfect snapshot of Owen’s senior season. He ran 1:50.25 for 3rd at the Arcadia Invitational, then dropped his PR to 1:50.18 at sectionals. He also won the 1,600m sectional title in 4:13.25. After four years of climbing the podium at the state meet, he had put together one of the best middle-distance careers in Yorkville history.

But there’s a lot more to Owen’s story than the times. He grew up running with his marathoner parents and found his love for competition in elementary school cross country. He dealt with knee issues and cross training early in high school, trained through Illinois winters, and slowly figured out that the 800 might be where he could really make his mark.

We talk about what actually happened between state and HOKA. The disappointment. The reset. The differences in the two races. The role of pace lights, race conditions, crowd energy, and having the right people around you when things don’t go according to plan.

Owen also takes me through the recruiting process, from reaching out to more than 200 coaches to visiting schools like Stanford and Georgetown, and eventually deciding that Notre Dame was the place he wanted to call home.

Now he’s heading into college, where the races will be less frequent, the training will be longer, and progress won’t always be as obvious.

So maybe the biggest lesson from Owen’s story isn’t a time or a place. It’s learning how to stay patient, keep moving forward, and trust that the work is adding up.

Stay the course.

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Enjoy!

One hundredth of a second. That was the difference between Caleb Winders winning and going home wondering what he could have done differently.

A few weeks later, he ran 1:46.85.

The Bloomington North senior has spent the last few years quietly building himself into one of the best 800-meter runners in the country. Now headed to UNC, Winders has combined raw speed with a blue-collar approach to training, racing, and getting better every day.

In 2026, he repeated as Indiana 800m state champion and broke the state record with a 1:46.85. He won New Balance Nationals Indoor and Outdoor, adding two more national titles to his résumé. He also helped Bloomington North win its fourth Indiana 4x800-meter state championship.

But the numbers only tell half the story.

This season also brought Winders his biggest setback. A hamstring injury hit during the postseason, forcing him to balance his own goals with his responsibility to his team. It was a reminder that even when everything is moving forward, running can still ask you to slow down.

In this conversation, we get into what it actually feels like to run 1:46, the mental battle of the 800, the race he lost by a hundredth, and the day-to-day grind behind the performances. We talk about pressure, confidence, pain, consistency, and why Winders still seems to care most about one simple thing: beating the people next to him and having fun doing it.

Now, the high school chapter is over. Chapel Hill is next.

Tap into the Caleb Winders Special.

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Sometimes the athletes who go the farthest are the ones who never made the biggest splash at the start.

Hunter Robbie didn't become a two-time Nike Cross Nationals All-American overnight. The 2026 Niwot High School graduate grew from an overlooked middle school runner into one of the leaders of the greatest cross country dynasty in the country, helping Niwot capture back-to-back NXN titles and three straight Colorado 5A state championships.

His senior season was one of remarkable consistency. Hunter finished sixth at Nike Cross Nationals in 15:11 to earn his second consecutive All-American finish. He ran 14:34.2 for runner-up at Nike Cross Southwest Regional. He was named the 2025-26 Colorado Gatorade Boys Cross Country Player of the Year and closed out his high school career with personal bests of 4:07 for 1600 meters and 8:45 for 3200 meters before heading to Duke.

But this conversation isn't about the medals. It's about the people who believed in him before he believed in himself. We talk about the coach who made a four-year bet on a kid who wasn't yet winning races, why consistency always beats chasing the perfect workout, and how Niwot built a culture where teammates could compete fiercely without becoming competitors first.

Hunter also reflects on falling while leading the Colorado state championships, carrying the pressure of defending a national title, and why making running your entire identity is one of the fastest ways to lose the joy that makes great performances possible. His perspective is simple. Care deeply. Stay loose. Keep showing up. The results will take care of themselves.

Tap into the Hunter Robbie Special.

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This week, I'm taking a break from guest interviews to share a few lessons from my final varsity camp before senior cross country.

We talk about why I decided to step away from Strava, what chasing social validation was quietly doing to my training, and how I'm learning to focus less on what everyone else is doing and more on becoming the best version of myself. I also reflect on the teammates who shaped my high school running journey, what leadership has come to mean to me, and why taking care of your mind might be just as important as taking care of your body.

Whether you're gearing up for a new season, feeling overwhelmed by comparison, or simply trying to find more purpose in your training, I hope this episode gives you something to think about.

Thanks for listening to The Sunday Shakeout.

Andrew Brown was labeled a prodigy before he was old enough to drive. Then came the pressure, the setbacks, and the question every young athlete eventually faces: who are you when things don't go your way?

The rising senior from Tupelo High School to its first Class 7A cross country state championship since 2013 while winning his second straight individual state title. He followed it with a dominant track season, sweeping the Class 7A 1600m and 3200m titles before breaking the Mississippi state record with an 8:52 performance at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

But this episode isn't really about the medals or the times.

Andrew opens up about the mindset that's changed the way he races. We talk about Josh Kerr's chase for the mile world record, what "running free" actually means, and why letting go of pressure has helped him become a better competitor. He also shares his pre-race routine, why he's thrown up before some of his best races, and how he balances preparation with trusting his instincts when the gun goes off.

We also rewind to where it all started. Growing up in Mississippi, competing against his brother, making the switch from baseball and football to distance running, and slowly realizing he could be one of the best runners in the state. Along the way, we dive into training camps, racing the nation's best, recovering from overtraining, and the lessons that came with each step forward.

It's a conversation about confidence, patience, and finding joy in the process. Whether you're chasing a PR or simply trying to enjoy the sport a little more, there's something here you'll carry into your next run.

Tap into the Andrew Brown Special.

In 2026, Oak Knoll School's Reagan Moore cemented herself as one of the premier 800-meter runners in the United States.

The rising senior from Summit, New Jersey claimed her second national title this June, running wire-to-wire to win the New Balance Nationals Outdoor 800 meters in 2:05.00 at Franklin Field. It was a different kind of victory than the one that first put her on the national stage.

Just a year earlier, Moore produced one of the most memorable finishes of the indoor season. Sitting 10th at the halfway mark of the Nike Indoor Nationals final, she trusted her race, closed her final 200 meters in 29.68 seconds, and stormed to the national title in 2:05.05.

Her sophomore season also produced a New Jersey Meet of Champions record of 2:04.80, the third-fastest indoor 800-meter performance in state history behind only Athing Mu and Ajee Wilson. Since then, she has added three NJSIAA Meet of Champions titles to her résumé while establishing herself as one of the country's most consistent championship racers.

The journey wasn't without difficult decisions. Following an outdoor season she knew could be better, Moore stepped away from soccer, a sport she had played since Pre-K, to run cross country for the first time and build the aerobic foundation she believed was missing. Just weeks before winning her second national championship, she also finished third at the New Jersey Meet of Champions, proving that one race never defines an athlete.

In this conversation, Reagan reflects on the contrast between leading from the front and chasing from behind, the mindset required to trust a long-term process, and the courage it takes to leave comfort in pursuit of something greater. It's an episode about patience, conviction, and becoming a student of the sport.

Tap into the Reagan Moore Special.

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In 2025, Coeur d'Alene High's Wyatt Carr stepped into a new role. The team's longtime leaders had graduated, and the responsibility of carrying one of the nation's premier distance programs now rested on his shoulders.

The Idaho standout responded with the best cross country season of his career. At the Idaho 6A State Championships, Carr ran 14:31.3 to finish runner-up while breaking a course record that had stood since 2022, leading Coeur d'Alene to a third consecutive state title.

Weeks later, Carr placed eighth at the Nike Cross Northwest Regional in 14:48.7. Although the Vikings narrowly missed a return trip to Nike Cross Nationals, the disappointment became fuel rather than a defining moment.

His momentum carried into the spring, where he captured the Idaho 6A state championship in the 3200 meters in 9:12.27 and helped Coeur d'Alene set a school record in the 4x800-meter relay, completing a remarkable turnaround after an SI joint injury had disrupted his sophomore track season.

In this episode, Wyatt reflects on the lessons hidden within an unforgettable year. We discuss why championship teams are built during ordinary summer training, how focusing on the fundamentals creates long-term success, why injury became one of the greatest catalysts for his growth, and how Coeur d'Alene's culture remained strong after falling short of its biggest team goal. He also shares the value of training in groups, simulating race scenarios, and embracing the daily process instead of chasing outcomes.

As he enters his senior year, Carr is no longer simply one of Idaho's top runners. He has become the leader of a program built on consistency, resilience, and the belief that the biggest breakthroughs are earned long before race day.

Tap into the Wyatt Carr Special.

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In 2026, Ballard High School’s Cassidy Armstrong closed out her career as one of Washington’s defining distance runners.

In late May, she delivered the defining performance of her high school career at the WIAA 3A State Championships, winning the 3200m in 10:13.69 to secure her first state title and complete an undefeated regular season campaign. Just weeks later, she went toe-to-toe with some of the best high schoolers in the nation, capping off her high school career with personal record runs at Brooks PR and Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Across it all, Cassidy’s progression carried a quiet continuity. A junior year lost to a hip stress fracture forced months of rebuilding, stripping the sport down to patience, routine, and belief without results. What followed was a return that forced a different way of thinking. Less forcing things. More patience than she probably wanted at the time. It’s one of those experiences that doesn’t feel meaningful while it’s happening, but quietly rewires how you operate afterward.

We also get into something a lot of athletes run into but don’t always say out loud: expectations don’t disappear when you start winning. They just change shape. And sometimes that makes it harder, not easier, to feel satisfied.

Now she’s heading to Duke, where everything shifts again—fewer races, higher stakes, less room to just “figure it out on race day.” It becomes more about precision than volume. More about choosing moments instead of collecting them.

And the real thread through all of it is simple: what happens when the version of you you were chasing finally shows up… and you still want more?

Tap into The Sunday Shakeout.

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She'd never raced a track meet before her junior year. Eighteen months later, she was standing among the fastest high school middle-distance runners in America.

The Ursuline School graduate and future UNC Tar Heel didn't grow up in the sport. Her athletic foundation came through swimming, gymnastics, and years of soccer, where speed was always her greatest weapon. When she finally gave track a chance during the winter of her junior year, she entered a world that was completely unfamiliar. One built on patience, accountability, and quiet confidence.

Her breakthrough came quickly. In her first outdoor season, Hickey captured both the New York State and Federation 800-meter titles before running 2:03.61 to finish fourth at New Balance Outdoor Nationals. The performance broke the Ursuline school record and moved her to No. 3 all-time in New York State history. She carried that momentum indoors, clocking 1:28.68 for 600 meters at the Molloy Stanner Games before lowering it to 1:27.14 at the New York State Championships. Winning by nearly four seconds, she became the fourth-fastest U.S. high school girl ever in the event.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

In this episode, Jane reflects on what it felt like walking into her very first track practice after years in soccer, learning to race athletes who had spent their entire lives in the sport, and slowly replacing imposter syndrome with belief. We talk about the workouts that shaped her, why she thrives in the 400 and 800 meters, the surprising culture of track compared to soccer, and how choosing joy over pressure allowed her to improve faster than she ever imagined.

As recruiting accelerated and expectations grew, Jane never lost sight of what made running meaningful in the first place. She shares why she chose North Carolina, how she balances elite athletics with academics, and why authenticity, strong relationships, and enjoying the process matter far more than chasing the next result.

If you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout, please follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Leaving a five-star review and sharing the podcast with a friend is one of the best ways to help us continue telling the stories behind the sport.