2013 cross country state champion Aidan Goltra injured his ankle on a downhill portion of the Canyon Middle School 3 mile course at the Trojan Invitational on October 12.
Goltra was diagnosed by the meet’s athletic trainer. He sustained a mild ankle sprain and was told he would be out for a week. The injury occured as Goltra was running downhill around a tight turn near the finish of the varsity race. “I was running downhill really fast, and then there were a lot of rocks. It happened really fast,” said Goltra.
Goltra still managed to post a time, 15:43, good enough for second best in the history of the course. The feat is more impressive when considering he was ran the last 400 meters injured.
Goltra wasn’t worried about the long term effects of his injury. “I don’t think it’s too severe. Hopefully, I’ll only be out for a couple days.”
“Considering he ran the second fastest time in history after injuring his ankle, his performance was quite remarkable,” Campolindo coach Chuck Woolridge said.
Woolridge was also impressed with his team’s performance, as Campolindo won the team competition.
Cougars Ben Weinberg finished 4th with a time of 16:35 and Parker Lothamer finished 10th in 17:06.
Though the team has depth, Woolridge is still concerned about the unexpected absence of his top runner. “He is the defending state champion. His absence will be huge,” Woolridge said of Goltra’s time off from training and racing.
