By Alin Hett
Hays Post
For Plainville native Dani Hartung, finishing eighth at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Shot Put was about far more than a place on the leaderboard.
The national finish represented the culmination of a two-year journey that began after the birth of her son, forcing her to rediscover what was possible as an elite athlete while balancing motherhood, a full-time career and family life.
"My son was born two years ago, and so last season I kind of nicknamed it my postpartum season or my postpartum comeback," Hartung said. "I was very much focused on assessing what my body was capable of doing after having a child and seeing how I could fit training into this schedule of motherhood."
Rather than chasing personal records immediately, Hartung entered last season simply trying to learn how to train while raising a young child. By the time 2026 arrived, she believed something special was within reach.
"I came into this season really feeling like I was poised for something big," she said.
That confidence translated into some of the best performances of her career.
At the World Open in Ramona, California, Hartung threw 17.24 meters, her best mark in a decade.
"As an athlete who does not train full time, you wonder as you get older if you are going to be able to sustain the level of training that is necessary to perform at a high level," Hartung said. "When I finally hit that mark, it felt like this awesome validation that I am doing this in a very serious way, even though it is part-time, and I am still physically capable of competing at a very high level."
Weeks later, she reached another milestone at the Ward Haylett Invitational at Kansas State, throwing 17.49 meters, just shy of her lifetime personal best of 17.97 meters.
The moment overwhelmed her.
"I actually started crying," Hartung said. "I just burst into tears after that competition because I was so proud of being able to rival my past self."
Afterward, her young son joined her in the throwing ring for photos, surrounded by family and friends who had helped make the journey possible.
"I was just very overwhelmed by how much love and support I had been given by my friends and family in order to be able to accomplish this," she said.
The season reached another milestone when Hartung finished eighth nationally at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, placing her among the country's top shot put athletes and validating years of dedication.
Balancing elite competition with everyday responsibilities has not been easy.
Hartung said becoming a mother forced her to reassess her priorities after spending much of her life centered around training. She also adjusted to a new career after previously working as a teacher and coach.
Today, she works full time for Booth Creek Wagyu in Manhattan while raising a toddler and continuing to compete nationally.
She said none of that would be possible without the people around her.
"I have the world's best husband, who considers this to be our family dream," Hartung said. "Whatever slack he needs to pick up in order for me to be able to go and do the things that I need to do, he has always either been right there with me or taking care of something at home."
Hartung said her employer has also embraced her athletic goals, giving her the flexibility needed to train and compete while maintaining her career.
"I do not think it would be very possible to be a mother, work full time and also train at this level if I did not have the support system around me that makes it happen," she said. "I am willing and dedicated to do the work, but the hurdles that are taken out of my path by the people willing to support me are what really make it possible."
Although Hartung now competes against the nation's best, she said those dreams began in northwest Kansas.
Raised in Plainville, she remembers plenty of people believing in her long before she believed in herself.
"There were definitely people around me who believed in me," Hartung said. "Whether that was my dad, who was my first coach, or all the coaches that I had throughout junior high and high school."
Still, she never imagined where athletics would eventually take her.
"I did not even have the context to dream as big as where I ended up or where I am even today," she said. "I was just so fortunate to blow expectations out of the water, and the friends that I have made through that and the experiences I have had are priceless. I owe so much of that to the people who encouraged me during my time in Plainville and the people who saw potential in me."
Hartung's journey is not finished.
Her next objective is to surpass her lifetime personal best and qualify for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials, after missing the previous Olympic cycle due to pregnancy.
"I really wanted to compete at another Olympic Trials," Hartung said. "I hope to qualify for the Olympic Trials. I would love to make the final, but ultimately I hope to be there and to break my PR or surpass it between now and then."
She expects that Olympic cycle to mark the final chapter of her competitive career before cheering from the sidelines as her son begins his own athletic journey.
"This time between when he was born and the next Olympic Trials has been a really precious time for me, both growing our family," Hartung said. "Figuring out who we are as a family, but also maintaining my sense of identity in something that has been important to me since I was eight years old."