Some people are born to be distance runners; others discover their passion for running in high school. But for some, running can seem out of reach due to factors beyond their control.
That was the reality for
Veronica Panina, a recent SHC alum and member of the Irish track and cross-country teams.
Panina was born with very short and underdeveloped Achilles tendons in both legs. When she was little, the only way she could walk was on her toes. She fell a lot, forcing doctor visits where extensive surgery was suggested to reconstruct the Achilles tendons. Her mom was not on board with such a debilitating surgery for a two-year-old. Thanks to a more creative orthopedist, a new solution was recommended: bilateral casting. For two weeks, Panina was in bilateral casts up to her knees.
The problem persisted, leading to six more weeks in full-length lateral casts up to her thighs, all at the young age of three. A freak balloon volleyball accident caused by the cast even resulted in stitches near her eye. For a kid with short Achilles tendons, running, especially at a high level, did not seem to be in the cards.
Several years passed without much trouble, perhaps signaling that the casting had done its job. When Panina reached fourth grade, she experienced a decline in her leg mobility and a reduced range of motion in her Achilles tendons. The toe walking began again, as did the casting. The Achilles tendons became more stable, and she moved from casting to orthotics and eventually to nothing at all.
"Ultimately, I like to tell people I had to learn how to walk three different times," Panina said. "But no matter what restraints I was put in, you could always find me running around and being active."
She was even scolded by her doctor once for playing soccer in her full leg casts.
Full-length casts as a kid did not change Panina's attitude, and she did not even see her problem as a challenge. It was just something she had to deal with, and it helped her become the person and runner she is today.
"Being as young as I was, I did not really see it as an obstacle," Panina said. "It was just a part of my life. I was the same as all of my peers, but just with my pounds of fiberglass wrapped around my legs. It didn't hold me back from experiencing all the adventures life had to offer. If anything, it kick-started the grit that I have. I didn't want to fall behind or be seen as a problem, so I consistently went above and beyond to keep up. It's the same mindset I use now for running."
Short Achilles and all, Panina persevered. Once she reached high school, she became one of the more consistent runners of her era, qualifying for the CIF State Meet multiple times in cross country and becoming a key piece of the Irish's 4x800 relay team her senior season.
Injuries and setbacks have unfortunately been a significant part of Panina's journey so far, but she has learned to roll with the punches life throws her way. One was thrown a day before she left for the biggest race of her life: Nike Outdoor Nationals.
She found herself without spikes. Her normal race-day shoes were deemed illegal, and she needed a pair of size 7.5 spikes. The search was on.
Most of Sacred Heart Cathedral's track and field team was contacted to see if anyone had spikes Veronica could borrow. Luckily, multiple pairs arrived for her to test, and she found her "glass slipper."
She called the hectic search for spikes "a very fitting end to a very chaotic career."
Panina caps off her "chaotic" high school career with two races at Nike Outdoor Nationals, the premier outdoor high school track and field championship, before continuing her education at the University of California, Berkeley. She will compete in the 4x800 and 4xMile, with both races taking place at the renowned Hayward Field on the University of Oregon's campus on June 19-20.
