Running through the pain: Former Jackson Co. track star perseveres through change, tragedy

Following a successful debut season at Savannah State University, Woodring and his family had just relocated from Jackson County to Murphy, N.C. in early May when his mother, Cynthia, died suddenly on Mothers’ Day. In the wake of that tragedy, Woodring decided to transfer from Savannah State to be closer to his father and grandmother and sort things out.

Woodring, a two-time state 400-meter runner-up while in high school, is spending the summer working out at gym in Murphy and running the lightly-traveled back roads of mountainous western North Carolina, logging at least five miles a day.

He’s doing his best to try to move on from his mother’s death, but the experience of losing a parent — especially so suddenly — has been heart wrenching.

“I’ve just really honestly been trying to keep busy and keep my mind off things,” he said. “The worst part is when nighttime comes and I can barely sleep at night sometimes because it was just so traumatizing. It’s bad.”

Times were much happier for Woodring earlier this year.

He had come into his own at Savannah State as a freshman sprinter. He won multiple races during the spring, shaved about a second off his 400-meter time (his PR is in the low 47s) and qualified for the conference finals in that event. He was also a member of SSU’s 4 x 400 meter team, which placed third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The season culminated with Woodring winning Savannah State’s Outstanding Sprinter award.

For Woodring, the accolade was as much about perseverance as it was success on the track. He’d been sidelined during the offseason with a thyroid issue, one that required him to take radiation pills. That left him far behind his teammates at the outset of the season. In fact, Woodring described himself as “the worst one out there.”

That prompted his coach to issue a challenge and a warning.

“He came up to me and said ‘you need to start buying into the program or you’re gone,’” Woodring said.

From that day on, Woodring began pushing himself to the limit, to beyond where he thought possible.

“The way I participated in practice really showed on meet day,” he said.

Woodring looks back fondly on his experience at Savannah State.

“Those guys at SSU will always be my family, no matter what,” he said. “That’s the good thing about track. It’s a good bonding experience.”

Woodring had just wrapped up his freshman year in college when his parents picked him up on May 8 and took him to the family’s new home in Murphy, N.C.

Upon arrival that evening, Woodring’s mom had gone into the bathroom when Woodring heard his grandmother yell. His mother had collapsed. Woodring and his father both rushed to her aid and administered CPR before paramedics arrived. But nothing could be done.

“I could tell she was gone,” he said. “I didn’t want to believe it. When you’re in shock you don’t want to believe anything.”

His mother was 53.

Though she had shown signs of improvement, Woodring’s mother had been battling through health problems.

“They said she had a massive heart attack,” he said.

After that, Woodring “didn’t really care about track anymore, honestly.” Having left Savannah State, he figured he would enroll in a school closer to home and get a job.

Then he received a message one day from a friend who runs track at Shorter University in Rome (Ga.), only two hours away from Murphy, N.C. The Hawks needed runners, and Woodring had interest in running again. Plus, Shorter was a manageable travel distance from his new home. That led to conversations with Shorter’s coach and eventually an invitation to join the team.

As Woodring trains this summer, he looks forward to building connections with new teammates next year and helping his new team win meets. More specifically though, Woodring aims to keep on lowering his 400-meter time. He has his sights set on breaking the 47-second mark.

With a new start, Woodring has a much different outlook on life given what he’s gone through the past two and a half months.

“It definitely was traumatizing,” he said. “I come home from college on Mothers’ Day and my mom just passes out dead … It makes you appreciate a lot more the precious things in life.”

And that includes his running career. Woodring — who aspires one day to reach the Olympic trials — will his channel those emotions into his training, all while keeping his mother’s memory close.

“It kind of motivates me when I’m training just to know that I’m still making her happy, and to trying to be the best version of myself,” he said. “Being the best version of yourself on the track can connect with the real world, too.”