Dustin Sweeney

“If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

-Conan O’Brien

Hometown: Berryville, VA

Previous Schools/Clubs (as runner): Clarke County HS, Shenandoah University

Previous Schools/Clubs (as coach): Clarke County HS, Shenandoah University, James Madison University, George Washington University, Pacers New Balance

Favorite Horse: “Benji. I grew up with a white horse with one blind eye named Benji. My older brother wanted one when he was a kid and my parents got a deal on it. It was half wild, so you couldn’t ride it, which I always appreciated and respected. We later got a brown horse that we could ride, and I also wonder what Benji thought about that. “

Favorite Musician: John Prine

Dustin Sweeney grew up on a small farm in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and started playing baseball at a young age. By the time he reached high school, his JV baseball coach told him to quit baseball and go run track.

It was the right call.

Dustin started coaching in 2002 at his alma mater, Clarke County High School, just one year after graduating. While learning the craft of coaching with the Clarke County Eagles, he was also attending and running for Shenandoah University.

At Clarke County, Dustin helped develop the Eagles into perennial state champions, with the program claiming 12 of 16 possible state titles over a six-year span. During that time, Clarke County produced multiple team state records, more than 100 all-state athletes, and numerous All-American performances.

From Clarke County, Dustin went on to coach middle-distance runners at James Madison University, where his athletes ran the second-fastest 4x800m relay in school history. He later moved to Washington, DC, and coached at George Washington University.

After GW, Dustin coached with the Pacers New Balance team and eventually developed his own branch of the program. In 2015, he moved to Reston and coached with PR Run & Walk.

After a five-year break to work the corporate grind, the running world came calling again. In 2023, Dustin co-founded Light Horse Track Club, put some new batteries in his stopwatches, and got back to work.