Ep. 211 - The Biggest Postseason Bounce-Back of 2026: Notre Dame Freshman & 1:48 800m Runner Owen Horeni

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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