Running Turned From A Punishment Into A Passion For Shea Foster

Growing up in the Houston area, Shea Foster dreamed of becoming an NBA superstar.

It was only once he got to Cypress Woods High School that Foster realized pro hoops might not be in his future.

“I was 5-4 … it probably wasn’t going to pan out,” Foster said.

What Foster didn’t know at the time was the school’s cross country coach, Gregory Zarate, had been watching some of his practices with an eye on recruiting the hooper to try running. The only experience Foster had with running at that point was as a punishment during basketball practice.

When he showed up for his first cross country practice, Foster had nothing to run in except his basketball shoes, much to the amusement of his new teammates. The laughing quickly stopped, though, when Foster began to win races in practice.

Zarate was so impressed with his new recruit that he bought Foster a pair of running shoes himself.

“Having someone who believed in me really got me into running,” Foster said. “I started putting the time and effort in. That’s when I realized running was my outlet. I could just go and think, brainstorm, plan and be free of life.”

Thus, a new passion was born. More than a decade later, that love for running led Foster to the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials this past July, which was his first Para competition. Competing in the men’s mixed 1,500-meter, the 27-year-old Foster finished with a time of 3 minutes, 58.74 seconds. That proved to be the top time for any American in the T38 class and good enough to earn his Paralympic debut this summer.

“It was incredible,” Foster said of experiencing Para competition for the first time. “Everyone wanted everyone to do well. Having that team atmosphere is really cool.”

Foster’s journey to Paris took many turns along the way, from the lows of his stepfather dying by suicide when Foster was in the fifth grade, to the highs of being casted on Netflix’s reality competition show “Surviving Paradise.” The one thing that’s remained consistent is his competitive drive.

A two-time district champion in high school, Foster attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas for two years. However, he left school to work as a valet driver to help support his family after Hurricane Harvey flooded their home in August 2017.

Foster then made the cross country team at Southeastern Louisiana as a walk-on in 2019. He went on to qualify for the COVID-delayed national championships in March 2021 and finished five spots away from earning All-American honors.

Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in finance that year, Foster decided to attend Oklahoma State to start graduate school and join the track program. Before he could start at his new school, an 18-wheeler ran a stoplight and slammed into the passenger side of Foster’s car. The crash turned Foster’s vehicle into a pile of twisted metal.

When he awoke from a coma in a Louisiana hospital two days later, Foster discovered he had a fractured spine, temporarily paralyzing him from the waist down. Doctors performed 360-degree spinal fusion surgery and let Foster know that he may never walk again.

As devastating as the accident was, Foster knew things could have been worse.

“Thank goodness it hit me on the passenger side, because if it had hit me on the driver’s side, I wouldn’t be here,” said Foster, who went on to a master’s in global studies at Oklahoma State.

Foster wanted to do more than just walk again; he still planned to race competitively.

With the help of his grandmother, Foster began walking several weeks following the surgery and running two months later, fighting through excruciating pain to do so.

Doctors were reluctant to clear Foster for competitive running despite the evidence his bones had fused together properly. He eventually received the go-ahead to join the Cowboys in the fall, and he raced at the national championships in November, five months after the crash.

The Cowboys finished third, and Foster placed 27th with a time of 29:25.7.

Foster learned about the Paralympics while recovering from surgery but had no interest at first.

The biggest motivation to change his mind came from his younger sister, Madison Clark, who was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. One day while she was in eighth grade, Madison called him in tears, telling him kids were making fun of her. She told Foster she could never be as successful as he was.

“That really hit me,” Foster said. “(I wondered), ‘Is this what I’m portraying to her?’ It lit a fire under my butt that maybe it starts with me showing her, rather than telling her that no matter what happens in your life, embrace it.”

The 1,500 will be Foster’s only event at the Paralympics. Whether he makes the podium or not in Paris, he intends to soak up the Paralympic experience and compete to the best of his ability.

“A medal would be fantastic,” he said. “I think the experience alone, being there with USA across your chest, knowing the ups and downs and obstacles. … I intend to support my teammates as much as possible because you never know who you can impact and give that extra push to accomplish their dreams of winning a medal.”

Foster has other goals he’d like to achieve beyond Paris. In November, he and Madison plan to enter the New York City Marathon, with Foster pushing his sister in a stroller.

Most of all, he wants to do his part to open the eyes of others to the Paralympic Movement, particularly ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“It’s on home soil, and I think we have a big chance and obligation of all Team USA Para athletes to continue to tell our stories and show that it’s OK to be different,” Foster said. “That’s something I’m really looking forward to after Paris.”

Stephen Kerr is a freelance journalist and newsletter publisher based in Austin, Texas. He is a contributor to usparatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc. You can follow him on Twitter @smkwriter1.