Downingtown native and Bishop Shanahan graduate Josh Hoey trained throughout the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the track his father built at their home which brought the whole family closer together, writes Natasha Dye for People.
“There was no access to facilities or anything, and we have a farm on the outside of Philadelphia where there was a big enough plot of land,” said Hoey, who won gold in the 800m at the World Indoor Championships in China.
His father, Fran, built the full-sized track for him and his brothers, Jonah and Jaxson, to train.
“It took about six months, but ultimately it came together quite well,” said the runner. “It used to be an equestrian field and ended up being a lot of work to level out the land and all of the regulations that came with the county and such.”
While the project was a tremendous undertaking, Hoey believes it was well worth it and brought the family together, including his mother, Leslee, who ran track at Penn State.
“We’ve done multiple days of double sessions out there, maybe four to six hours,” he said.
Read more about Josh Hoey getting to train throughout the pandemic on a track right at home in People.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on VISTA Today in May 2025.
