Almost exactly one year ago, Wolf Pack distance runner Erika Root ran the race of her life, clocking a personal best in the 3,000 meters at the Mountain West indoor track and field championships.
On Saturday, Root returns to the track for the first time since that race.
The 371 days in between her last start and her next start have been life-changing. Root was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma – the most advanced stage – in the days after that personal best and walked into a future of uncertainty. But after a year filled with as much turbulence as any she’s faced in her life, Root will be back at one of her favorite places on Saturday: the starting line.