She Almost Hung Up the Spikes. Then Everything Changed. Notre Dame Hurdler Reese Sanders on Comeback, Confidence, and Running for No One but Herself
About this episode
Reese Sanders shares her journey from contemplating retirement to training for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials, highlighting her personal growth and newfound confidence in running.
Reese Sanders ran a 57.3 and realized she wasn't done. Coming off her final season at Notre Dame, Sanders—a four-time Indiana state champion and one of the top 400m hurdlers in Fighting Irish history—was closer to walking away from the sport than sticking with it long term. What changed wasn't a grand plan. It was momentum: a fast race at ACCs, another personal best at regionals, and a quiet afternoon running unattached at a meet in Duke where it finally felt like she was running for herself. That shift changed everything. In this episode, Reese walks Dominic through the last 30 to 90 days that rerouted her entire post-college trajectory. From near-retirement, to staying in South Bend as an assistant coach under Coach Rodney Zurich—all while training toward the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials. She talks about what it actually took to believe she could keep getting better: journaling with God before races, learning to check out from track in order to get better at it, and finally letting go of the pressure she put on herself the moment she stepped on campus as a recruit. The conversation covers her athletic family roots, growing up watching siblings Olivia and Luke run state, building a…
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