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Inspirational father helps Santa Fe High's Edwards overcome balky hamstring

The Santa Fe New Mexican - 4/21/2018

April 21--ALBUQUERQUE -- An Edwards doesn't quit.

That doesn't mean there are doubts, though.

The slogan, oft uttered by Ron Edwards, resonates with his son River Edwards, and for good reason. Whenever River Edwards stares adversity in the face -- such as nursing a right hamstring injury that kept him from sprinting for the Santa Fe High track and field team -- he can look over to the stands for inspiration.

There, he can find his dad sitting in his rolling walker or standing next to it, cheering him despite suffering from multiple sclerosis. It's not the first battle Ron Edwards has encountered -- he's overcome homelessness and a brain injury before running an advertising business with his wife, Kathryn.

"My dad is a huge inspiration in my life," River Edwards said. "Whenever there is something difficult going on, I just remember what he's been through and how he's powered through it."

So, it was River Edwards' turn to power through his moment of doubt and adversity, and it came Friday in the 100 meters of the Richard Harper Memorial Invitational at Albuquerque Academy. He had not raced since injuring himself a month ago at the Chandler, Ariz., Rotary Invitational, with each passing week offering him hope that he was healthy during practice, only to feel a twinge in his hamstring that kept him out of competition.

The hamstring still didn't feel right to River Edwards as he warmed up to run with the 400 relay team, and he opted out of the event. But he realized that time was running short to test it, and decided to compete in the 100.

"Part of me knew that the hamstring was healed enough," Edwards said. "In the weeks previous to that, it was tight. I came out here and did a medium sprint across the field, and it felt all right."

Running in the sixth of eight heats, Edwards finished first with a time of 11.28 seconds -- his best of the season. It qualified him for the finals of the two-day event that begin Saturday morning with teammate Theo Goujon, who sprinted to an 11.06 in the final heat that qualified the senior for the Class 6A meet.

Edwards has already qualified for the 200 before his injury, but he hopes that he can add the 100 to his list.

Santa Fe High head coach Peter Graham was encouraged by what he saw, especially considering Edwards said he was running "about 90-ish percent."

"When you've been hurt, you're always afraid to go back and take that initial step," Graham said. "Until you do, you don't know where you're going to be. It's a big step."

Watching from the side Friday was Ron Edwards, who saluted his son with a fist before and after the race, and Kathryn Edwards, who recorded the race from the knoll next to the stands.

"It was tough," Ron Edwards said of his son lengthy absence. "But we also wanted to make sure he was doing everything he could to make [his return] happen. We took him to chiropractors, we took him to acupuncturists, everything to make sure it was healing well and get him out here running again."

Kathryn Edwards said she and her husband scoured the internet to figure out why their son still felt pain and surmised that maybe inflammation was irritating the nerve enough to leave a shadow of doubt in their son's mind.

"A lot of people confuse it with sciatica, because the muscle around the hip gets a little inflamed," Kathryn Edwards said. "So it's not like super inflamed to where he's in constant pain, but I think that is the thing. We never stop until we get answers."

Sort of like when Ron Edwards had an attack in early March that forced him to use his walker. It stemmed from he and his son's attempts at fundraising to attend the Down Under Track and Field meet in July, and led the family to eschew those plans.

"I'm not too disappointed," River Edwards said. "Eventually, we found out it wasn't a super competitive thing, anyway. It was going to be hard for us to go down there and do it. So I thought that running some local [USA Track and Field] events would be better."

Meanwhile, his dad has been going to physical therapy to help him recover, and he's gotten to the point where he can walk with limited aid from the walker. He stood through the first five heats of the 100 as well as through River Edwards' race.

Considering it was his son's first race since the injury, Ron Edwards was happy with what he saw. And he kept a positive outlook about what the future might hold for the family.

"I know I'll never be able to outrun him," Ron Edwards said. "But I'd like to be able to run with him."

Being an Edwards, he won't quit until fulfilling that dream.

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(c)2018 The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.)

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