Evolution of a Runner

Photo By Sgt. Tara Fajardo Arteaga | Spc. Zebedee Johnson assigned to the 418th Transportation Company prepares to take off running on a track at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait Aug. 2, 2011. (U.S. Army Photo By Sgt. Tara Fajardo Arteaga)  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

09.25.2011

Story by Sgt. Tara Fajardo Arteaga 

35th Infantry Division

As the old adage goes, “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” It takes a precocious child to be able to process this at a very young age. However, Spc. Zebedee M. Johnson qualifies as one of those rare individuals. Paralyzed at the budding age of eight, Johnson was immobile for nearly a year of his childhood. After losing the ability to have a “normal” childhood, Johnson developed a new appreciation for a capability he had previously taken for granted. His newfound gratitude for walking soon evolved into an infatuation with running. “At the age of 13, I had a parent who saw me run. They contacted my parents about running track (Amateur Athletic Union), which is a program for the youth,” recalled Johnson. After receiving the approval of his parents, Johnson began to run competitively and never looked back. Throughout middle school and high school, Johnson continued to run for the track and field teams in school and with AAU. It wasn’t until his senior year of high school, once Johnson won the North Carolina State High School 400-meter Race that he began to see running as a means to fund his college education. After visiting numerous schools all over North Carolina, Johnson was convinced Western Carolina University was the school for him. Persuaded by the chance to better himself, Johnson was certain. “The coach sold me on an education and a chance to improve, heavily, in track and field,” said Johnson. Not only was it a turning point for Johnson’s life, it was also an important mark in the school’s history. It was the first time that the school offered a full scholarship to a freshman. From August 2004 through July 2008, Johnson ran with the WCU Catamounts, all while earning a bachelor’s degree in Business. Along the way, Johnson set the bar high and proved to the athletic program they did not make a mistake in bringing him on board. Johnson claimed the 200-meter Indoor Record and was also a member of the record-setting 4x100-meter Relay Team for his school. Johnson also left a lasting impression with former college coach, Danny Williamson. During a phone interview Williamson spoke of Johnson fondly “Zeb was a very outstanding young man in our program. First-class individual. Highly competitive individual. And I wish we had about 500 more like him.” Following his college graduation, Johnson ran a couple of professional and semi-professional meets to test the waters of professional running. Even though the possibilities of running for New Balance and Adidas appeared to be promising, Johnson was not convinced it was stable enough to provide for him and his growing son. With a bleak job market that offered few considerable long-term career opportunities, Johnson was motivated to enlist in the Army full-time in October of 2009. Shortly after completing his Initial Basic Training, Johnson was knee-deep in deployment preparations with his first and current duty assignment, the 377th Transportation Company out of Fort Bliss, Texas. Before long, Johnson and his unit deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and he was, yet again, largely involved in his mission at hand. Towards the end of the deployment, Johnson was presented with more free time, and he was able to take on additional activities outside of work.
Running was becoming a part of his life again. His unit began to see the zeal Johnson had for running as well as his unique talent, and pushed him to pursue his love of running. The 718th Transportation Battalion Iron Chariot Athletic Challenge was just the jump-start Johnson needed to “get back in the game.” Even though Johnson participated in numerous events during the challenge, his shining moment came when he won the 100-meter dash, fueling his fervor to take his running to the next level. Nearing the end of his deployment, Johnson began looking forward to his homecoming to set goals for his running. The 377th was there cheering him every step of the way. Johnson said, “They have encouraged me to go out for the trials in 2012, the United States (Olympic) Trials.” Even though excitement and nervousness are still present, lofty goals are nothing new to this determined Soldier and he just wants one last shot. Johnson claimed, “I just want any sign that I might still have a little bit left in the tank… any sign…” Johnson showed he did indeed have a little bit left. He finished the preliminary race with a time of 10.99 seconds in the 100-meter dash. In the finals of the 100-meter dash, Johnson took off on the start and fell. After quickly recovering and taking off down the lane, he had a lot of ground to cover. He dug deep down inside himself and came out victorious with a time of 10.81 seconds. His company was ecstatic about the win and proud of their Soldier. The week after the race, different members of the 377th Transportation Company motivated Johnson day in and day out. The replacement unit had arrived and company missions were down to zero, leaving plenty of time for training. Johnson got up around 3 a.m. to run, lift weights and train with different members of his company. In the afternoon, he trained again. He left Camp Arifjan a few weeks after the race, with enough motivation to accomplish his goals. He continues to train and has made some plans for the upcoming season. “As of right now, I have a couple of indoor track meets set up in January,” said Johnson. “We have a home track meet in March that I’m trying to enter in, in front of my home crowd back in Charlotte… I will always find competition. I might have to drive to go get it, but I’m willing to prepare.”

• Date Taken: 09.25.2011
• Date Posted: 02.22.2022 14:48
• Story ID: 415019
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW
• Hometown: CULLOWHEE, NC, US