Liberty Hill senior Ryan McCarn finished second at the Lockhart Invitational, which was his highest-ever varsity result after overcoming injuries that derailed his high-school career early on.

Liberty Hill senior Ryan McCarn finished second at the Lockhart Invitational, which was his highest-ever varsity result after overcoming injuries that derailed his high-school career early on.

Coming down the final stretch of the boys' varsity race at the Lockhart Invitational on Saturday, Ryan McCarn was finally in the place he always wanted to be.

However, early on in the Liberty Hill senior's high-school career, McCarn was derailed by a series of serious injuries that had him contemplating walking away.

“I suffered a broken hip in eighth grade, then had a stress fracture in my right tibia my freshman year,” said McCarn. “I wasn't sure if I was even going to continue running. It got to the point where I said if I had one more major injury, I'd be done.”

But, before that could happen, McCarn paid a visit to Run Lab, an Austin-based outfit that specializes in helping runners prevent and recover from injuries, where he discovered a quite unique process to uncover potential reasons for his seemingly never-ending injury issues.

McCarn underwent a movement analysis and gait evaluation – a scientific approach aided by the use of technology to determine where he was going wrong with his running style, he said.

“They put me on a treadmill and shot video of me running,” said McCarn. “Looking for things like overstriding, landing on my heels or with my legs straight.”

Once the results were finalized, McCarn was given a plan to revamp the way he ran, which made all the difference – even if it took awhile to get accustomed to, he said.

“It was quite difficult and took a lot of work to get used to,” said McCarn. “It wasn't an immediate change, but rather one that happened over time.”

Once his style had been corrected with a helping hand from science, that is, he found himself running on the road to permanent recovery, he said.

“I think that was the main reason all along for my injuries,” said McCarn. “People always said I had a weird stride.”

One of those people was Liberty Hill head coach Kim Holt, who said when she got McCarn as a freshman, he was fast, but unorthodox.

“Ryan's form was really bad coming in,” she said. “You could tell there was something different about the way he ran with his body pounding into the ground.”

So much so, Holt said the results were tangible.

“You could see his shins were hurting after he ran,” she said. “But, a lot of boys have problems like that until they get stronger.”

Along those lines, McCarn said he's gained 40 pounds since his freshman year, which has also helped him avoid the injury bug as he has naturally gained strength.

“We also lift weights to get stronger,” he said. “Upper body is important, too.”

According to McCarn, he must always remain vigilant despite the fact he now finds himself a far cry from his previous days of pain.

“I always have to look out for it,” said McCarn. “Because injuries can still happen to anyone.”

McCarn didn't win the race in Lockhart last weekend, but came close in finishing second in a time of 11:07.6 on the 2.2-mile course – only 0.08 behind the winner – an occasion that marked his highest-ever varsity result.

Ironically, McCarn said he wasn't at his physical best leading up to the race.

“I felt really sick before the race – I've had a cold for awhile – I was shaking and was dizzy and completely off and wasn't sure I should even start,” he said. “But, my coaches told me I could always start and then drop out, so I just went into it with that mindset.”

As a result, McCarn didn't fly off the starting line like he usually does, which may have actually helped in the end.

“I got off to a much slower start than usual,” said McCarn, who normally prefers to set the pace up from from the outset. “But, I worked my way up and was able to push through.”

In a way, the race was a microcosm of the entire journey McCarn has been on for the past four years and one he hopes will have the same happy ending.

“Deep down, my biggest goal is to stay healthy for an entire season,” he said. “Usually, by the time we have our home meet, there's something wrong – my legs have gotten fatigued. So, I'm praying that doesn't happen again because I want to make it to state.”

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