Photo and Story by Phil Grove
Mary Jaskowak knows the pain all too well.
One of the top runners in District 10, the Grove City Area senior has qualified for the state cross country and track championships despite injuries that have forced her to watch instead of race for months at a time.
This fall, the injury bug bit her hard once again during a dual meet on September 17 at rival Wilmington Area.
“Right after we passed the two-mile mark, I felt something in my leg,” Jaskowak said of the sharp pain that x-rays later showed was a result of a fractured left fibula. “I thought it was my foot originally, and I didn’t know what it was. And then it started almost going numb and tingling.
“The only thing going through my head (was this meet) could determine the region title for us. I pushed through it, and it hurt really bad. I finished and I fell on the ground, and I knew something was really bad.”
Coach Mike Sample suspected almost immediately that, based on his standout’s injury record that includes ACL tears her freshman and sophomore years that moved her away from soccer and two stress fractures, the prognosis most likely wasn’t good.
“When we got there, we thought strained ligaments (or) stress fracture, and it came back as a complete break,” Sample said of the injury just above Jaskowak’s left ankle. “I wanted her to drop out, but she knew that we needed her to win to keep our streak alive. She’s just such a competitor.
“When she told me her goals at the beginning of the year, I’m like wow. They were pretty hefty goals to obtain and when I saw her first race down at Schenley (Park) at Red, White & Blue, I realized those goals were obtainable for her even though she would be running in an elite class. And she is, she’s an elite runner. She just can’t stay healthy.”
In the meantime, Jaskowak, whose individual victory led the Eagles to a 1-3-5-7-9 finish and the dual-meet triumph over Wilmington Area, is working to keep her cardio fitness level high and hoping to hear good news about her return to action when she has a checkup next month.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Sample said. “She’s been our top runner the last two years and never been able to finish a season. Last season, she qualified for states having only raced twice coming off a stress fracture for most of the season. An incredible athlete, just fragile it seems.”