From an outside perspective, running could easily be defined as putting one foot in front of the other forcing forward motion. However, for individuals who dedicate hours, weeks and months to improve in a sport for literally zero recognition, running is simply something more.

For these runners, it’s about overcoming adversity and obstacles, setting goals and accomplishing them. And finally, it’s about love and passion. Running is a way of life that teaches individuals discipline, focus and accountability. Each runner has a story– some about how the individual got involved in the running scene, others about outstanding accomplishments, while others tell a tale about some challenge that the runner faced and worked to overcome. In this Runner’s Spotlight, we talked to a runner with a tale of misfortune– one that began with a simple goal that was sidetracked due to injury. He is now back on the road to recovery and setting his sights on finally accomplishing that goal. This runner’s name is Stephen England.

The Long Road to Accomplishing a Goal
It’s early Saturday morning as Stephen loops around the dirt path for the second time. Though the pace is a little slower than he is accustomed to, the sheer fact that he is able to lace up a pair of sneakers provides him enough encouragement to continue his run. The truth is, early this year Stephen was worried that he might not be able to run competitively ever again.

As early as Stephen can remember, he always ran. He had a natural talent for running and often competed for his school and club, usually finishing near the front of the pack. On a number of occasions, Stephen won various cross-country and track meets.Growing up in London, Stephen watched the London Marathon and always wondered what it took to run 26.2 miles. He never had the illusion of winning it but felt that he could be competitive and had hoped to break 3:15. His dream turned into reality in 2004 when he found himself running through the streets passing areas so familiar on his way to completing 26.2 miles. Though the race did not unfold the way he had planned (officially finishing in 3:39), he still crossed the line and immediately began planning his next marathon.

He knew that his next big race would be the Marathon in New York. Stephen had heard about the crowd support, the history of Fred Lebow, the course passing through the five boroughs, and of course, the finish line in Central Park, which Stephen refers to as ‘the best park in the world.’ As always in Stephen’s life, he set out to achieve a new goal–one that would put his previous goals to shame.

Stephen moved to New York that following year and began focusing on getting into the marathon. He gained a guaranteed entry into the 2008 marathon by completing nine NYRR races. Upon getting entry into the marathon, he started seriously training for his ultimate race. Though many months away, he joined a local running group, RUN NYC, and began his quest to cross the finish line in the world’s greatest marathon. For months, he spent countless hours looping around Central Park, doing hill repeats, and numerous tempo runs. He would often call home to talk about his progress and the fact that he was going to beat his previous marathon time. He was also making arrangements so that his family and friends would be able to travel to New York to watch him run.

It was in early 2008 that Stephen’s plans began to unravel. Stephen spent his birthday down in Florida and went for a normal run. Halfway through the run, he felt his knee give out, almost causing him to fall. Worried that he might injury himself, he shut it down since he was experiencing continual pain and did not want to cause serious damage. Stephen thought it might be best to get a doctor’s opinion and unfortunately found out that his pain was actually a medial meniscus tear and a grade 4 bone degradation (grade 5 being the worst). He elected to have surgery and on May 21, 2008, Stephen’s hope for running in the 2008 marathon hit a major wall. His doctor assured him that he would still be able to compete in the marathon but he needed to ease back into the running scene. Never having had major surgery before Stephen trusted his doctors. That optimistic view, however, slowly turned into thoughts of dismay and he questioned his ability to ever run long distances again when his progress did not improve after a few months.

For the next four months, Stephen spent countless hours in physical therapy trying to rehabilitate his knee. It was not until September that Stephen began running again. One evening his roommate encouraged him to head down to the track to watch him do a workout. “My roommate was going to a track practice and convinced me to tag along,” recalls Stephen. “I had no desire to try and run; yet while watching the team race around the track, I decided to jog around the outside lane. When I started my knee felt okay so I slowly turned the light jog into a decent running pace. Before I realized it, I completed a mile. I think mentally, it was the most important mile in my life.”

It took him a little over a week to fully recover from that night at the track but once he felt up to it, he slowly began running around. “Those first two weeks I felt completely out of shape and sluggish. It is amazing how much fitness you lose in such a short amount of time. I slowly eased back into running.”

So that Saturday morning on the Bridle Path, less than a month after Stephen returned to running, he was on his way to completing an 8-mile run. “You know, I could have simply gave up, purchased a bike and took up cycling–no pounding on the knees–but I am a runner. I don’t do this to stay healthy or to win races; I do it because it is who I am. I have plenty of time to get back into shape and prepare properly for the 2009 marathon in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon. When I cross the line, I’ll know that I have given it everything and that this long journey to reach my goal was well worth it. It will certainly be one of those defining moments in my life.”

Most runners can relate to Stephen. Whether it’s coming back from an injury or waking up early in the morning to get a run in before the day starts, runners understand what it takes to improve. For all of us who spend countless hours on the road, we do it for the love of the sport rather than anything else and we are always asking ourselves the same question each time we lace up that pair of sneakers: How far am I going today?

In the Meantime
As Stephen has his sights set on the 2009 marathon, he is planning to keep busy throughout the year with a number of races on his calendar. First off, he plans to run in a winter half-marathon – most likely the Manhattan Half-Marathon. After that, Stephen will be part of a 10-person relay team heading down to Texas for the Texas Independence Relay looking to add another ‘W’ to his running resume.

Stephen’s Challenge to You
Join Stephen as he returns to the racing game. Check out his ‘Back At It Half-Marathon’ challenge on Nikeplus.com.