The only obstacles in Shane Conroy’s way had little to do with running.
A mysterious “heart problem.” Torn and sprained knee ligaments.
So the Portage junior is relieved the course seems clear.
“Everything’s just better,” Conroy said. “I’m in a way better spot than I was after last winter. It could be because I wasn’t injured, but everything’s 10 times better than it was last year.”
Conroy’s tumultuous sophomore year ended on a high note when he earned all-state honors in track by finishing seventh in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 6.76 seconds at the state meet in June. Then he earned all-state honors in cross country by finishing seventh in 15:15.6 at the state meet in November.
Conroy is eyeing even more success as the spring track season ramps up this month.
Tom Erickson, who coaches Portage cross country and works with the distance runners for the track team, attributed Conroy’s rapid ascent to a tireless work ethic.
“He’s intrinsically motivated to always do better,” Erickson said. “There’s never a time when I have to worry if Shane runs on the weekends. He’s never shy about doing the best that he possibly can.”
Conroy describes himself as a competitive person. That doesn’t change when he’s playing video games, according to Portage junior Josh Bosstel.
“One night before a cross country meet, he stayed the night at my house, and we were playing some NHL,” Bosstel said. “I did some crazy thing, and he almost put the controller through my TV screen. He’s just an overall big competitor. He doesn’t like losing.”
Bosstel noted Conroy’s drive is reflected in his preparation too.
“He’s always talking about his competition the day before a meet,” Bosstel said. “He’s researching everything: times, splits, all of it. He’s always on top of his research.”
Conroy has steadily immersed himself in distance running since eighth grade, and he qualified for the state meet in cross country during his sophomore season. But he didn’t finish the race. Halfway through it, Conroy said he started feeling uneasy. The next thing he remembers, he was being driven off the course by medical personnel.
“Sometimes I’ll freeze up and can’t move, and sometimes I’ll pass out,” Conroy said. “It’s very rare that I’ll pass out, but that was one of the moments. I don’t know if it was the nerves or the heat, but just out of nowhere, I started feeling crappy, and then I was just down.”
Conroy describes it as “a heart problem,” although he said doctors haven’t been able to provide a definitive diagnosis, even after he wore a heart monitor for three months before high school. Conroy said he also collapsed at a seasonal retail job, waking up to a manager standing over him.
“That was my first day too,” he said.
Conroy hasn’t experienced any midrace incidents since that state meet. But while he was snowboarding in Michigan last winter, he partially tore the MCL in his left knee and sprained his ACL and LCL. The injuries sidelined him for the start of track season last spring.
“It was definitely a downer,” Conroy said. “I would start trying to do little jogs with my knee brace on, and it would not work out so well.”
Conroy recovered in time to compete in the postseason, which ended with the first all-state honors of his career. Since then, he has received calls from multiple Division I programs.
“I’d like to keep going to national meets and keep getting my name out there,” he said. “I want to compete with the best runners in the state and the best in the nation and, hopefully, become one of the best runners in the nation.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
