Lance McDaniel of Concord University: Running for Record, Past Hurdles

It's been a long and winding road for a former Pulaski County High School track star, which will culminate next Friday and Saturday at Duke University.

Lance McDaniel, who now competes in track and field for Concord University, will look to set the school record in the steeplechase.

The steeplechase is an interesting event in which competitors run 3,000 meters (close to two miles). They encounter hurdles throughout each lap of the event, which are compiled of barriers three lanes wide. After runners get through with the hurdles, they encounter a water pit on the other side of the barrier.

The current Concord record was set by Ryan Kent in 2008 with a time of 9:46.60. McDaniel recently set a new personal best of 9:50.18—just under four seconds off the record—when he finished ninth at the Wake Forest Open on March 19-20.

"I would love to break this record," McDaniel said. "I came so close last year. I was around three seconds off, so I hope I can do it this year."

While at Pulaski County High School, Lance was a four-time district champion and a three-time AA All-State performer. Not only was he outstanding on the track, but in the classroom as well, making the All-River Ridge District Academic Team.

In 2007, Lance was All-Conference and Academic All-American in Cross-Country at Concord.

Lance's story is more than just his accomplishments in running. At just the tender age of three, doctors discovered that Lance had a heart issue and he had to undergo open heart surgery.

"I had a hole in my heart about the size of a quarter when I was born and when I went in for my three-year checkup my doctor at the time found it," McDaniel said. "My parents tell me that later doctors told them it was a miracle he found it because it was very hard to hear due to its large size."

He had the surgery and worked to overcome the heart condition. By the time Lance was 14, he was one of the top 50 runners in the country in his age group.

However, Lance's health issues resurfaced in high school; this time a different ailment slowed down his pursuit of running. He began to develop a Colles' fracture, which is the shearing off of both bones in the lower arm.

"That put me out of running for a while in high school," McDaniel said. "I hated that because I love running so much, but that was just one of those things that showed me that God is in control of my life. I had to have a cast on it for a few months."

Lance's high school coach, Jamie McCarty, reflected on his time with McDaniel and the short time they spent together because of the injury.

"The only thing that I can look back and be disappointed about is that I didn't have him in my program longer," McCarty said. "I only really had him for a few weeks of his junior and all of his senior year. He is the kind of kid that is a 'lunch pail' kind of kid. He came here every day ready to go and you know you would get maximum effort, whether it was just practice or a race.

"He pushed the other kids the same way. He didn't let them slack or do the wrong things. He was always in the right place doing the right things, whether that was in school, out of school, or in cross country. He is one of those kids who you didn't have to worry about. You could tell them to do something and he would not only do what you asked, but do more."

Lance would once again overcome that ailment and returned to what he loved most. He now stands a towering 6'2" tall, after an incredible growth spurt, and sits on the cusp of making history at Concord. After all he has been through, though, Lance has grown past all of these challenges in his life and still remains humble about the potential accomplishment.

"There are also two freshman on the team that have the ability to break it as well," McDaniel said. "So I just hope one of us gets it. Whether I do it or not, that's up to God. I'll be just as happy if I get it as I will if they do."

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