Neal is still running through life

This is the second part of a two-part series on what it is like missing out on your senior season due to the Coronavirus.

Griffin Neal’s story is like one of many athletes around the world. Standing by and not competing in this time of pandemic. On a local level, the possibilities for one runner of what could have taken place, records broken and going to state, the list is quite large. He was robbed of competition and is having to sit on the sidelines with the competitive fire still burning inside.

Running wasn’t always on Griffin Neal’s mind, but soon that would change. He played football in junior high and tried out for track and then he was off and running.

“It was probably in seventh or eighth grade that I tried out and the coach put me in distance. I was on the B team. I was not very good. But in eighth grade I got better… I researched on how to get better.”

And get better he did. He moved between JV and varsity his freshman year and moved up to varsity for regionals. Going back in the Wimberley View’s archives, his advancement and his progression is fun to look back on.

His sophomore year in cross-country, he wasn’t the star yet, but he was a strong number 2 distance runner, in both cross-country and track long distance events.

Training on Winters Mill’s long stretch of open space led to becoming the number one runner for boys cross country, referred to as one of “the top runners in the state” his junior year. Qualifying for regionals, finishing third, then competing at state he broke the his own school record for the mile, a time of four minutes, 23.62 seconds.

This, his senior year, due to injuries, started out slow. But at the end of the season, Neal was back at state, finishing 20 out of 151 runners in the 5K. “I sprained my ankle and I kept running.”

Looking forward to his last days of high school track came to a sudden halt, and he will never know what that last track season would have brought. But for his ability he has a scholarship to attend Incarnate Word in San Antonio. “They are super nice and are really into running. The team is very into being better as are the coaches,” Neal said.

After graduating, he plans on keeping sports in his life, studying Sports Management and Kinesiology, “and work where there are runners around.” Until then though, he still has a big personal goal. “Breaking the four minute mile.”

Looking back, a little Wimberley will remain inside. “Growing up in a small town has advantages. One big point is being able to know everyone at the high school by name, which is nice,” Neal said.