Freshman Cross-Country Runner Bounces Back From Injury

Only weeks after returning from an injury that derailed his cross-country season, Liberty track runner Caleb Olson placed second in the men’s 5k event at the Vertklasse Meeting April 1. 

With a time of 14:51:09, the run was Olson’s personal best as well as the first time he finished the race in under 15 minutes. In doing so, Olson finished his recovery from a quad strain and provided a glimpse into his full potential. 

“It’s exciting for Caleb because it’s just the start of what he’s really capable of doing,” Assistant Cross Country Coach Isaac Wendland, who works with the men’s distance team, said. “We know he’s capable of a whole lot more. Him running his personal best is exciting, but he’s just coming back from an injury, and he only really has about three solid weeks of training under his belt.”

Olson said that his injury during the cross-country season initially devastated him. 

“I was obviously hurt physically, but mentally too,” Olson said. “I was bummed out because I started out the season strong and was like, ‘Man, this is going really well.’ And it was super disappointing.”

However, Olson also said his injury proved valuable for his growth as both an athlete and a Christian. 

“God taught me a lot through a low point in my life,” Olson said. “I feel like that’s how it works a lot of times. God uses a low point in your life to teach you something, so you don’t become prideful in the high points.”

Through his recovery journey, Olson learned how to truly appreciate the blessings in his life and direct any praise or recognition to God instead of himself. Instead of viewing athletics as a means of propelling his own worth and abilities, Olson choses to use his gifts to serve God.

“It showed me that God can give me a great season, and he can take it away,” Olson said. “When I (score a personal record) and run great, that’s his. When I get injured and run terribly, that’s his too. My job as someone that he has chosen to give the gift of running to is to, in the good and the bad, lay it out for him.”

Due to the successful beginning to his track season at the VertKlasse Meeting, the ASUN named Olson its Men’s Freshman of the Week alongside Jake Turner from North Florida. 

“It’s kind of surreal seeing all my family, my friends and people I don’t know post this Freshman of the Week thing,” Olson said. “But again, it’s not my award in the end. I’m happy that God chose me to get this award this week, but he just as easily could have chosen anyone else on the team.”

Olson’s leadership does not end with how he conducts himself during events but can be best seen through how he serves his teammates. He demonstrated that by purchasing devotionals for his entire long-distance team. 

“He really cares about the team,” Wendland said. “Even as a sophomore, freshman eligibility-wise, he still takes on leadership responsibility. He wants this team to absolutely be its best … having students take that kind of leadership is huge in a program.”

As with every other university across the country, Liberty has faced the changes and struggles involved with competing in intercollegiate athletics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus forced the track team to postpone its cross-country season from the fall to the winter, causing it to overlap with the indoor track season. 

“What I’m telling our guys is challenge breeds culture,” Wendland said. “We’ve had a lot of challenges this year, and it’s really defining our culture as a team. I’m really happy to see the guys step up and do that and be molded and shaped this season.”

Despite uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and the effect it will have on this outdoor season, the team seems encouraged and prepared for competition. 

“It’s going to be a fun end to the season, no doubt about that, and it’s just something that we can build off of for the future,” Wendland said.  

Christian Shields is a Copy Editor. View his Facebook Profile here.