Owen Morgenegg may just be the boy with curly hair you see in the hallway during a passing period. You may have even seen him run to class in order to avoid a tardy. If this applies to you, you have witnessed a boy purely showing off.
Morgenegg may only be a junior, but he is the best cross country runner Eaglecrest can claim. Running is simply in his genetic code -- his older brother is a former great who will also be remembered for his cross country days as well.
“My brother ran cross country too. And he had a time of 16:16 or something like that. 16:17. So I want to beat him,” Morgenegg said. “That's my only goal right now. He is what inspired me to start running.”
The Morgeneggs prove there is truly no force stronger than sibling rivalry. With another season ahead of him, Owen has a year to improve his time. At state Morgenegg pulled an 18:12, which he accomplished with only one shoe.
“There's tons of people here at state. I was just slowing down because it was a bend, and no one wants to go too far out. So everyone sort of slows down, and I'm slowing down too. And then this guy behind me -- I didn't even see him -- just comes up and steps on my foot,” Morgenegg said. “It gets flat tired, and then it's barely hanging on. I jumped up and grabbed it and took it off. Then I ran with just the sock.” This added adversity only made the race more like home for him. He just told himself that things happen and to make the best of it.
“I was just telling myself sometimes I run barefoot on the track. And so I was just like, ‘it's just like the track.’ It didn't end up being like the track -- it hurt. Like a ton,” Morgenegg said.
Pain is the name of the game, and it tends to follow Morgenegg wherever he goes. Just when he thinks he is safe and gained a few spots in the race, it is never enough.
“This Arapahoe kid was, frustratingly, he was always there. I would surge past a couple of people and then sort of stick with them. This Arapahoe kid would follow me and try to pass me as well,” Morgenegg said. “And then, I'd just be super frustrated because I'd have to surge again -- even though I'm super tired already. I just had to keep making sure he didn't pass me.”
This constant drive and energy supply, even when Morgenegg is already on low battery-mode, makes him an excellent athlete. He never gives up on a race, and there is no peak he will not run up. Yet, Morgenegg is more than just an exceptional athlete -- he is also a leader on the rise.
“I'm really proud of him for stepping up as a leader. Yeah, he's, you know, the best guy on our team, but he also really worked on bringing some of the other guys along,” his coach, Jaron Ming, said. “He really works to increase the camaraderie among the teammates. I'm really glad that he is not just an athlete, but is a person who really tries to do the right thing.”
As his coach said, Morgenegg is an overall good person. He shares his love of running with his team and pushes them to be better. His goals go beyond just himself. The plans he has for his team wake him up each morning and cause him to surge even when he is beyond drained.
And his plans for next year's state competition: “To tie my shoes tighter and not get flat tired.”