A stress fracture in grade school has been a blessing in disguise for Lockport’s Nolan Lamoureux.
The Lewis-bound senior track star enjoyed cross country and distance running as a youngster, but as he approached the high school stage of his life, that aspect started to take a toll on him.
Lamoureux suffered that stress fracture in seventh grade, but that’s not all.
“COVID hit right after,” he said. “It was just a big jumble.”
When all was said and done, Lamoureux ended up loving the sprints. He spent three years concentrating on those events for the Porters, finishing third in the state as a junior in the 400.
Veteran Lockport coach Tom Razo sat down with Lamoureux before this spring, and they came up with the idea of Lamoureux running races in the middle distances, in particular the 800.
That plan worked out pretty well. So well, in fact, that Lamoureux went out and won the Class 3A state championship in that event at Eastern Illinois’ O’Brien Field in Charleston.
“He came into our school as a sprinter and I knew him as a distance runner,” Razo said of Lamoureux. “He made his mark as a freshman sprinter, but I thought he would be at a whole different level if he moves up.
“It took us a while to talk him into it. His junior year, he dabbled in it. This year, after the indoor season was over, he said ‘OK, I think the best shot for me winning a title is moving up.’’’
Lamoureux won the state title in a time of 1:51.92, edging out Yorkville’s Owen Horeni at 1:52.22.
Then, in the 1,600 relay, Lamoureux joined Fope Omisore, Xavier Adeniyi and Michael Nicholson to finish second for the Porters with a 3:18.01, losing out to Evanston’s 3:17.73.
Still, Lamoureux became Lockport’s first state champion since John Meyer won the shot put in 2018 and the first runner for the Porters to take gold since 2008 when Kyle Engnell won the 1,600.
Homewood-Flossmoor’s 400 relay of Joaquin Jordan, Charles Dees, Myles Ellis and Zion Morrison won the Class 3A state title with a 41.00.
In Class 2A, Southland Prep’s Amauree Williams became the first boys track athlete in program history to win a state championship, prevailing in the 300 hurdles with a 37.77.
Lamoureux’s win, however, wasn’t easy. It was a come-from-behind victory.
“No one challenged him all year long,” Razo said of Lamoureux. “He controlled all of the races he was in. The young man from Yorkville took off at 400 meters, gapped him and gapped him good.
“I was kind of worried there for a second. I’m thinking ‘OK, you’ve got to respond to this.’ Prior to the race, we talked about going out at a certain pace, which he did. During the last 200 meters, I wanted him to kick like a mad fiend and he did. With 50 meters left, he took control.”
Razo may have been a little worried, but Lamoureux was unfazed.
“Throughout the race, I knew that he was a fast mile guy,” Lamoureux said of Horeni. “But I knew I had a stronger kick. I let him get out a little bit ahead of me, but it’s all about tactical racing.
“I was staying not too far behind, and I was at a good point where I was still in the race. I knew that as long as I kicked, I would still have the race.”
In grade school, Lamoureux started running because when he played basketball he was faster than everyone else. Track, though, is something that he has grown to love.
“It’s a sport where I can challenge myself,” he said. “And it keeps me motivated.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
