Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – After a long journey Alex Figueroa was ready for one last ride.

Or one perhaps more aptly put, one last run.

A stalwart in the Clear Creek Amana lineup since his freshman season, Figueroa was a state qualifier as a sophomore.

He appeared primed for a breakthrough last spring before the global pandemic put a stop to spring sports across the state.

Even after undergoing offseason foot surgery following football last fall Figueroa was ready to put the finishing touches on his prep career with a strong track season this spring.

A week into practice that final ride came to an abrupt halt with an intense pain in his calf that was diagnosed as compartment syndrome.

“I got cleared after foot surgery the week before track season and I was too hyped up and I just started practicing and I got this pain that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” Figueroa said. “The doctor said I didn’t run for four months and I just started going and sometimes your body doesn’t know what to do when you are using those muscles you haven’t used in four months.”

After missing out on his junior track season Figueroa wasn’t ready to let go of his final opportunity to compete.

He met with doctors again and got the word he could continue to run as long as he could manage the pain.

“When I went to the doctor and they told me I had to have surgery I was like ‘this is the last ride so said I’m not getting surgery’,” Figueroa said “The doctor told me it wasn’t going to give me more health problems but it was going to hurt so I’m just going to keep going.”

Not only has Figueroa continued to find a way to compete, he has excelled.

Two weeks into the season he hasn’t lost a race yet, winning the 100 meters at all three meets he has competed – most recently at the Eastern Iowa Track and Field Festival at West High on Monday where he posted a season-best time of 11.3.

“They said if I could handle the pain I could do it and it does hurt,” Figueroa said. “With the adrenaline at meets I can get through it but it’s terrible.”

Clear Creek Amana coach Ben Robison is familiar with compartment syndrome, having developed the condition himself in college.

Robison has used his own experience to help Figueroa while stressing the importance of not over-exerting at practice or meets.

“It’s very painful but I feel like we are doing a good job of managing it,” Robison said. “We aren’t going to overwork him at all and hopefully he can continue to compete.”
Injury or not Figueroa has been impressive thus far.

Despite rarely practicing and running just three individual events this season Figueroa is tied for the 10^th fastest 100 time in Class 3A this season at 11.3.

“I haven’t been blessed with good weather for the 100 but that’s not something you can control,” Figueroa said. “I’m just trying to do the best in can in the opportunities I get.”

Figueroa would normally compete in the 200 as well as the 100 but has lightened his workload with the injury.

“I probably won’t run the 200 this year and that was usually my bread and butter,” Figueroa said. “I’m just going to see what I can do each meet.”

Figueroa has run on a pair of relay events this season, helping Clear Creek Amana win both.

He ran on the Clippers’ winning 4×100 relay team at the Waverly Shell-Rock Invite, helping Clear Creek Amana post the sixth fastest time in 3A this season.

Figueroa also ran on the Clippers sprint medley team that posted the top time in 3A at 1:35.58 while winning at the Clear Creek Amana Invitational last week.

“Robison sort of just said lets go in the sprint med and see what you guys can do,” Figueroa said. “We went out and cranked out the number one time in 3A.”

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