When Davidsonville runner Eden Hendricks sustained a knee injury, he thought he might never run again.

However, he recently made an impressive comeback at the Clearwater race held on August 22, where he finished in the Top 8.

Hendricks clocked 00:38:46 in the 10km event, finishing five minutes behind the overall winner.

” I feel good about the result because the Clearwater course is tough, but I held on to the end.”

Known for strong performances in parkruns and cross-country, Hendricks was forced to spend almost six months on the sidelines after suffering patellar tendinitis in his knee.

“I realised that I had an injury in July last year, but at the time it wasn’t bad at all, so I continued running. It started getting worse around late October, and then in November I sustained a patellar tendinitis injury in the knee,” he said.

The injury eventually left him unable to run, forcing him to put his training on hold and focus instead on strength work and recovery.

“The recovery session looked different. I had to go to physiotherapy and chiropractic, just making sure to get the treatment for the injury. I had to be patient with myself. I only felt ready in the middle of May; then I started training, but then cross-country season had already started.”

Difficulty in returning to competition

His return to competition was understandably difficult at first. Hendricks struggled in his opening cross-country league race but refused to let the disappointing result define his comeback.

“When I ran my first league, it wasn’t that good obviously because I hadn’t run for almost six months, but I just stayed consistent and worked hard. Fitness started picking up again, and the cross-country leagues got better and better.

“Still not where I was two years ago, but I continue to build. I didn’t make the provincial team this year, but that’s okay. I am just patient with myself, but I’m definitely building towards next year’s season.”

That patience was rewarded at the Clearwater 10km, where Hendricks entered with no expectations of a competitive finish.

“Going into the Clearwater 10km race, the plan was just to do a tempo run on that tough course, and I did exactly that. I also tested my strength a bit; I just wanted to see where I’m at in terms of 10km fitness,” he explained.

His advice to other runners is to always listen to their bodies and be patient.

“Don’t rush the process. Do what the doctor tells you to do. If it means rest, then do just that; if the doctor says no running for a year, then you don’t run for that year. The human can only do this much; condition your body bit by bit,” he concluded.