The text that came across Donnie Palmer’s phone in May 2021 was a gut punch.
 
“I’m done,” it read.
 
The sender was from Topeka West standout distance runner Lenny Njoroge, who the night before had just won the 3,200 at the Joe Schrag City Invitational. It certainly wasn’t one Palmer, West’s track and cross country coach, was expecting to receive on a Saturday.
 
Njoroge wasn’t quitting track, mind you. At least not by choice.
 
But circumstances dictated that his season was over just as it was getting to the championship stretch. Also a standout soccer player, Njoroge suffered a broken right leg during a club game in Kansas City that effectively wiped out not only the remainder of his 2021 track season but also his 2021 cross country season in the fall.
 
“It was a pretty big downer,” Palmer said. "When I got the news he broke his leg, I was like, ‘Whoa!’ I couldn’t believe it at first.”
 
Neither could Njoroge.
 
“I had a game that morning and got a through ball from one of my teammates,” Njoroge said. “I went to go get it and the goalkeeper came out and slid-tackled trying to go for the ball. I went to kick it and my leg just snapped.
 
“I just heard a loud crack and fell down. For the first four, five seconds I didn’t feel anything because of the shock. Then once I looked at it, the pain just hit. … It just sucked.”
 
Hospitalized at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City for two days, Njoroge returned to Topeka and began working his way back. He returned to run track last spring, taking fourth in the Class 5A 3,200 at the State Outdoors.
 
But this fall, Njoroge is not only fully back to where he was before the injury, but even better. The Charger senior has won two of his first three races of the season, taking the title last Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational after previously winning the Manhattan Invitational.
 
While the victories are impressive enough, it’s his showing in his non-win that really opened not only the eyes of the state but also Njoroge’s. At the Chargers’ home invitational, Njoroge clocked a runner-up time of 15 minutes, 24.61 seconds that ranks him ninth overall in the state this year (he lost to a Missouri runner at the meet).
 
He is the only runner with a top-10 time that didn’t come from the ultra-fast Olathe Twilight Meet, which is held on a predominantly flat course that finishes on the track at the Olathe District Activities Complex. Only one 5A runner has been faster this year, St. Thomas Aquinas' Colby King, who ran a 14:50.60 at Olathe but a 15:35.7 at his other meet.
 
“I just wanted to come back this year and have a strong season,” Njoroge said. “I’m definitely hungry. Ever since that injury, you just have to take every race, every moment like it could be the last and give it all you can. It’s been surprising. Coming out and getting that 15:24, it’s very surprising and exciting.”
 
After his surgery to repair his fibula and tibia, Njoroge began the grueling rehab process. In a sense, he was starting all over.
 
“I had to learn how to walk again,” he said. “Everything just hurt. I was nervous. I was scared. They were just pushing me to get through it and try to get back as early as possible. I had to learn to run again, too. It was building that confidence of trusting your leg again. That was the hardest part.
 
“You just have to be tough.”
 
With strong support from his dad, Francis, Njoroge pushed through his rehab and made it back for track season and almost immediately, Palmer noticed a difference.
 
“When he came back last spring, he was faster than he was before the injury speed-wise,” Palmer said. “He didn’t have the stamina yet, but he worked hard all summer long and is in even better shape than I thought he would be in.
 
“We thought he had the potential (to be a state contender as a senior). To see that the last few weeks, I think he’s starting to believe that, too.”
 
Njoroge finished 12^th at state as a freshman and 11^th as a sophomore. This year, he’s a strong contender for a state championship if he continues his early-season success. He’ll get an even better idea where he stands this weekend at the prestigious Rim Rock Invitational just outside of Lawrence.
 
“That’s what Rim Rock is, to see where you stack up,” he said. “I’ll be able to evaluate myself pretty good and I’m excited to see how I stack up with the competition.”
 
Even after the injury, Njoroge hasn’t given up his soccer career and doubles up in the fall playing for the Charger’ varsity team. As a striker from his forward position, he knows he’ll likely encounter another scenario that led to his devastating injury.
 
But he’s tried to put it out of his mind to be the best he can be on the pitch as well.
 
“It goes through my mind every time I go for that ball,” he admitted. “But you just have to have that confidence and push through.”
 
 
OTHER CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUTS
 

• Nemaha Central’s John Langill is undefeated in his three races this season and hasn’t come close to being beaten. His third victory came at last Thursday’s Hiawatha Inviatational where he won by more than a minute in 16:35.75 over Hiawatha’s Camden Bachman (17:41.84). Bachman led the Red Hawks to the team title.

 

• Silver Lake’s Tessa Gerber got a bit of revenge in winning the girls’ title at Hiawatha, finishing in 22:06.56 to edge Royal Valley’s Cheyenne Hittle. Hittle had beaten Gerber two weeks ago at the Silver Lake Invitational but Gerber pulled away over the last half mile at Hiawatha for the victory.

 

• Osge City freshman Emory Speece broke the Indians’ school record at the first meet of the season, shattering the old mark by 45 seconds with a time of 20:12. Fellow freshman Jaiton Bosse is right on her heels and moved to No. 2 on Osage City’s all-time chart with a 20:58.

 

• Ellsworth’s Byron Johnson took home the title at the St. John Invitational, winning in 16:59, 10 seconds ahead of Ingalls’ Brenden Ellis. The time was a personal best for Johnson and sophomore teammate Trenton Holmes also turned in a personal best at the meet.

 

• McLouth’s Henry Cloyd raced to the title at the Bulldogs’ home meet, finishing in 17:01. Teammate Dylan Stemmons took third.

 

• Washington County’s McKenzie Baker was the top sophomore finisher at the Onaga Invitational, taking third overall.

 

• After winning her first two meets of her career, Olpe freshman Lilly Skalsky finished second at the Northern Heights Invitational, but turned in a personal-best time of 20:13.

 

• At the Wellsville Invitational, Burlington saw every runner on its varsity and JV teams post personal-best times. Wellsville’s Nash McDaniel won the boys varsity race in 17:07.85, just ahead of Central heights’ duo of Connor Burkdoll (17:13.06) and Cody Hammond (17:13.10), who led the Vikings to the team title.

 
            Prairie View’s Bree Allen was the girls’ champion in 19:40.87, 40 seconds ahead of Olathe Heritage Christian’s Hannah Thong.
 

• Wamego’s Brady Stegman out-dueled North Central Kansas League rival Silas Miller of Marysville for the title at the Clay Center Invitational. Stegman won in 13:09.60 with Miller second in 13:25.70.

 

• Piper’s Grace Hanson dominated the girls’ race at the De Soto Invitational, winning by more than three minutes in 19:15.40.

 

• Axtell’s Grady Buessing and Rock Creek’s Kyra Nippert were the champions at the Onaga Invitational. Buessing won the boys race in 17:52.13 while Nippert took the girls title by nearly a minute in 21:45.96. Rossville won the girls team title led by a runner-up finish from Amelia Foster.