Minneapolis boy overcomes odds, becoming one the best runners in the metro

MINNEAPOLIS — Stepping up to the start line, Will Just is ready.

"I go into meets with the mindset of that I belong here, I belong at this level," said the Washburn High School senior.

Just has earned his confidence, but his first steps weren't as smooth.

"When I was first starting to walk, I would always walk on my tippy toes," said Just. "Basically, it affected my feet and my legs to the point where they were out of proportion."

"He was tripping all the time," said Dave Just, Will's dad. "He couldn't really stay on his feet. We didn't really think anything of it. [But] his pediatrician said, 'I think there's some issues with his gait or his feet.'"

Just was prescribed foot and ankle braces that he wore almost every waking moment for four years. He was in physical therapy too — all to address his foot alignment and stretch out his Achilles. There were at-home exercises too.

"Pretty unlikely that I'd ever be able to compete in athletics at a competitive level or ever be able to run or do anything involving running," said Just, recalling the doctor's message.

But that prediction from doctors went unfulfilled. Just competed in many sports growing up and, ironically, has excelled in track.

"It's really emotional," said Dave Just. "My wife, in particular, gets extremely nervous. But it's fun. He works really hard, as all these distance runners do."

Now, Just is one of the metro's top high school distance runners, setting a meet record just a few weeks ago. Plus, he's committed to running college track at the University of Vermont.

"I've put in a lot of work and I feel like I deserve to be where I am today," Just said.