From the outside looking in, Hoggard Junior Aedon Schroeder is having a high school running career many dream of. As an elite runner in the state of North Carolina, Schroeder has posted top times and finishes across the board in his past three years of competition. However, it has been anything but an easy path to this point for Schroeder, facing setback after painful setback that would leave most athletes unable to continue moving forward.
Schroeder came into high school and made an immediate impact for the Hoggard Vikings, based out of Wilmington, North Carolina. As a sophomore during cross-country season, Schroeder cemented himself as one to watch in the state of North Carolina with a 15:48.96 personal record to finish as the individual runner-up in the NCHSAA 4A East Regional meet, leading Hoggard to the team title. The next week at the NCHSAA 4A State Championship, Schroeder would throw down an equally impressive performance, running 15:59.80 for 13th place, leading Hoggard as a sophomore once again to a fifth-place team finish in the state.
Schroeder described his first two years as follows: "I had an awesome freshman and sophomore season, setting records along the way, just growing as an athlete from the lessons I learned. There were a few minor setbacks, but that's just part of being an athlete."
Heading into his junior year cross-country season, Schroeder and his team had major goals. They returned a strong team from the 2023 season and ranked second in the NCHSAA 4A returning cross country rankings. However, just days before the team headed off to one of the biggest meets of the regular season, the adidas XC Challenge, tragedy struck.
"It was a rainy afternoon in September, and I decided to dive into a pond during my easy run to cool off. Unbeknownst at the time, I fractured my C2 vertebrae in my neck diving in, and the season was about to come to a grinding halt." says Schroeder.
"I then, days after, raced the adidas 5k at WakeMed and ran equal to my sophomore year PR, with a broken neck. After the race I felt this weird stiffness in my neck, so when I got back to Wilmington, we went in to get it checked out." Schroeder's mark was 15:50.2 to finish 31st overall and third for Hoggard who finished third in the team placements as well.
At that appointment, the doctors would make the frightening discovery of the severity of Schroeder's injury, a C2-vertebrae fracture that can commonly lead to paralysis and even death.
Schroeder was kept in the hospital for multiple days, going through scan after scan. After finally being released to go home, Schroeder was left in a confining neck brace with any sort of physical activity off limits for the foreseeable future. A massive question mark now loomed over the rest of Aedon's running career.
The days following were incredibly difficult for Schroeder. "That doctor's appointment was one of the worst moments of my life, for I knew that the path to recovery would be a challenging one."
Nonetheless, where many would throw in the towel, Schroeder got right on the road to recovery. By late December, Schroeder was stunningly able to get training again on the bike and slowly creep his way back to running.
Fellow Hoggard Junior runner Gabriel Archibald said this when asked regarding the accident and the months that followed:
"I didn't know if Aedon would ever be the same runner again or if he'd even run at all. This type of injury is something that goes beyond running. Still, he kept doing everything he could to stay in shape, and the team was incredibly excited when he was back and able to start training with us again."
Schroeder knew he could not just go back to his past training habits and expect to stay healthy with all the setbacks and injuries he has faced throughout his running career. Along with the help of his coaches, Schroeder constructed a new training plan, replacing the majority of his easy miles with time on the bike.
Hoggard men's distance coach Billy Mason said this when asked about Schroeder's injury and his attitude in the months following it:
"When I first learned of Aedon's injury, I was more concerned about his future health than whether he would be running with us again; but, even when he was wearing a rigid neck brace and his physical movements were restricted, Aedon evidenced his commitment to running and our team by checking in at practice and showing up at all meets, helping in any manner that he was able."
With all the perseverance and sacrifices Schroeder has made, he is finally back on the track doing what he loves once again with a smile on his face. Not only is Schroeder back competing, but he is thriving, throwing down three new personal records in his last three races, including a 4:23.30 1600m mark, and helping his team run to a new NC #1 7:47.10 4x800m time this past weekend where he split around a 1:57-1:58.
"It has been no surprise that since he was cleared to resume running, he has been relentless in his efforts to regain his previous fitness level and is running faster than ever before. This is a testament to his exceptional work ethic and dedication," says Coach Billy Mason.
Schroeder left us with this final advice for those going through similar hardships. "These challenges have taught me one thing, that it is all about your mindset. The effort you put in translates to the results you get out, so go the extra mile, do the extra rep, and never lose your motivation."
With his return to running this track season Schroeder has set a new PR across the 800m of 1:57, 1600m of 4:23 and 9:36 for the 3200m.
For Aedon.. It's Bigger than Track