By Cassie Burnside–Senior Tabitha Shepherd will be competing in the 3000 meter steeple chase this weekend at the Sioux City Relays. The last time she ran this race was two years ago at this exact meet.
A competitor fell in the water pit and Shepherd tried to adjust her footing and landed wrong, breaking her foot. The recovery from this break has been two years in the making. Her entire junior year was a struggle. Her foot wasn’t healing correctly, and there was still pain. Through all of this, she kept a positive attitude and has inspired others.
Teammate, Mckenzie Reece said, “Tabitha is one of the most positive people on the team. When she was injured she always came to practice and always made it a point to encourage others. You can always hear her cheering, no matter where you are on the track.”
After two years of recovery, Shepherd is finally back to where she was before the break. At practice on Thursday, she worked on her water pit jumps. She approached the barrier, stopped, turned around, and tried again. This happened about ten times. Shepherd said, “I was letting the fear of the pit get to me. Then I thought, I have to do this. If I don’t do it, I’ll always wonder.”
She then turned around, and made one more attempt and cleared the barrier with almost perfect form.
The women’s 3000 meter steeplechase will compete at 11:55 a.m. Saturday morning at Elwood Olsen Stadium on Morningside’s campus.
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