‘I would call it a miracle’: Bonneville runner Giryan Jones recovers from a motorcycle crash to compete at state championships

IDAHO FALLS – It was bad.

As he was being driven to the hospital, the initial shock and adrenaline from the motorcycle crash started to wear off and reality set in.

So much pain.

“As soon as I crashed and then saw the X-rays, I knew it was going to be a really big problem,” said Bonneville runner Giryan Jones.

Last June, Jones was riding his Yamaha sport bike east of 49th street when he slid on a patch of gravel and flipped.

He suffered extensive damage to his right foot.

Extensive damage?

Jones broke all five metatarsals in his foot, two were slightly fractured, two were a clean break, and the other was shattered.

For a distance runner, thinks couldn’t have looked more bleak.

And that’s where Giryan starts to tell his story

Jones had established himself as one of the top distance runners in the state as a junior, finishing third at the 5A state cross country championships and then medaling in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the track and field state championships.

“I’ve had the goal of being state champion for awhile,” he said, noting there was plenty of motivation and optimism heading into senior season.

But that changed after the crash on June 27 of last year. On July 2, Jones had surgery that resulted in a permanent plate in the second metatarsal, and a pin through the third and fourth metatarsals.

“They said it would most likely be a year or more for a full recovery,” he said.

The road to recovery

Following surgery, Jones was laid up and facing an uncertain future. While his competitive nature pushed him to focus on his recovery and getting back to running for his senior season, the physical damage from the crash was almost too much to bear.

“During those months I was unsure if it was going to be possible (to return),” he said. “I had a lot of pain in my foot continuously. I wasn’t sure I was going to move my toes again … I really wanted to get back out there and run the best I could my senior year, regardless.”

Once the pins were removed, Jones wore a boot and was able to do minimal workouts, but no cardio or anything with his legs.

Eventually the boot was removed, but Jones was still unable to put pressure on his toes.

“There’s no way I’m going to be able to run,” he thought.

Next up was physical therapy

The healing was slow and painful. Cross country season was already underway and Jones tried to train, but even jogging resulted in swelling and discomfort.

Jones would have to take breaks before he eventually worked his way up to five consecutive days of training.

He eventually was able to run in a couple of meets before districts.

“I was a long ways off of what I needed to be to make state,” Jones said of his times. “Even a long ways off from junior year and before that.”

The breakthrough

Jones finished 12th at the district meet to earn a berth to the state cross country championships.

His time of 16:45.6 was nearly more than a minute better than his previous race.

“Coming in I knew I was going to do my best, and knew I had a shot, but I wasn’t expecting that,” he said.

The next goal was the state meet

Jones was still not at 100% and knew, based on the times of the other top runners, that his pre-crash goal of a state title was likely out of reach.

But his motivation began to shift. He began to appreciate the journey just to reach the state championships. His senior year was not necessarily about being on top of the podium, it was about overcoming different obstacles and challenges.

“I was grateful I was even able to make a recovery to the point I could run a 5K, much less be competitive,” he said. “I would call it a miracle I was able to run.”

The miracle

Jones dropped nearly a minute off his time in the state championship race, earning a 17th-place finish and a state medal.

“That was an amazing goal to reach,” he said.

Up next: track season

Jones’ recovery continued during the winter leading up to the spring track season.

His foot still hurt running longer distances, so the 3,200 was likely not an option. He focused on the 800 and 1,600, but his times were not close to his personal-best marks or competitive compared to other top runners.

At the Boise Relays, he dropped nearly 40 seconds off his season-best in the 1,600.

“After that race I was very hopeful for districts, hoping I could cut a couple more seconds off and make state once again,” Jones said.

“I’m very competitive. I also recognized that I wasn’t going to be as physically fit as I was before. What kept me going was that I had this difficult time where the thing that I really loved, I wasn’t performing well in it. I kind of wanted to just do the best I could.”

Jones had a solid district meet, running the 800, 1,600 and the 3,200.

He qualified for state in the 1,600 after running a 4:28.39.

Goal acquired

Jones said it was bitter-sweet walking on the track at the state championships for his last high school race.

“I was grateful for the hard times,” he said. “It made me a lot stronger and determined. My motivation was always to win the race, but it wasn’t about winning anymore.”

Jones finished 18th.

Teammates and other competitors knew what Jones had been through just to get back on the track, and Jones said the outpouring from everyone was inspiring.

Up next

Jones is headed on a mission to Brazil. He still has trouble moving his toes on his right foot, but said maybe things will be better after some time.

He might consider running in college, but first things first.

He’s taking some time to appreciate the past year.

“I wanted to show my peers and my dad that I could come back from this and show people you might break your bones, but you can work your way back and not give up,” he said.

And the final message for his story?

“In the end, I did the best that I could.”