Published on June 4, 2025 10:07 am
Last Updated on June 4, 2025 10:08 am
Isabella Keller passing other runners during the 3200.
BY MILLIE LANGE
How do you become a State champion?
Well, there are a number of reasons. You work hard, practice and practice and you never, ever give up.
Isabella Keller was absent as a member of the Effingham St. Anthony High School track team during the regular season. Why?
Back in January, Keller started to suffer a pain in her leg.
“I really didn’t know what caused it right then,” said Keller. “It started to hurt after I did a hard running workout. I just noticed it whenever I would bend my leg and move it. It bothered me at school, walking up and down the stairs.
“We went to see the doctor here in Effingham. They didn’t do an MRI at first or treatment. I had Xrays and there was nothing that appeared wrong. I was told to rest it for a week. Then the doctor said I could try to run very little on the treadmill. But that’s when I felt the pain again so we called him and asked him what to do. They ordered an MRI. For two weeks I hadn’t been running and that’s when they diagnosed me with OCD.”
A diagnosis of OCD in the leg refers to osteochondritis dissecans, a condition where a segment of bone and cartilage separates from the rest of the bone, causing pain.
“Our doctor here got us to a doctor in Chicago to get better information. We went to Dr. Brian Cole, who is a doctor with the Chicago Bulls. We had to wait two more weeks and I had gone five weeks without running when we got to talk with him in Chicago.
“Dad and I told him my symptoms and he asked what it felt like and then told us I couldn’t damage it. He said if I could handle the pain, I could run, but it hurt too much. So, he said if it’s that bad, then you need to rest it.”
Keller went around 11 to 13 weeks without running.
“When I got to the 11-week mark without running, I still felt it hurt. I did another two weeks to be safe so I ended up going 13 ½ weeks without running. Eventually I thought I could try a tiny bit of running. A couple of strides on grass and again the next day. It was feeling fine, no pain.
“I had run for four days whenever we went back to see the doctor again. I told him things were fine and he told me to gradually keep running for four weeks.”
“Dad went ahead and scheduled surgery after we saw the doctor because he told us if I feel fine and don’t need the surgery then we could cancel. But if it continued to hurt, then the surgery would already be scheduled.
“We talked with him and told him everything was going well and to cancel the surgery.”
“I’m proud of her for not giving up,” said her dad Chuck Keller.
“Around March I just trained to maintain some fitness,” said Isabella. “I didn’t start running until the end of April. I swam a lot and that was most of my training. I did body weight exercises like pullups and pushups and different ab exercises. Then just easy biking outside and on a stationary bike.
“After we saw the doctor in Chicago and knew it would be a long time I was going to be out and recover. We thought it would be the whole track season.”
“I called the IHSA to make sure she could run if she qualified for State if she didn’t run during the season,” said Chuck. “It was fine. She had to run at sectionals to see if she qualified for State.”
“I knew my fitness would be fine,” said Isabell. “I only ran about a week and a half before sectional just to get my legs used to running and make sure I felt okay. I knew I would be able to get to State but I didn’t think I would place well.”
Keller competed at the Class 1A Newton Sectional where she won the 3200 in 10:53.05 and finished second in the 1600 in 5:06.41. Those finishes advanced her to the Class 1A State Track Meet at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.
“I had one more week to get ready for State,” said Isabella. “My body started to feel a little bit better. Doing some stride outs at the track to make sure I had the speed to hold faster paces. I was feeling pretty good.
“I knew I would be able to get to State but I didn’t think I would place well at State. I knew the competitors because I had raced all of them before but I didn’t know where I’d be with my injury.”
The sophomore, who is going to be a junior this coming fall at St. Anthony, finished fourth in the 1600 in 4:58.80 at the State Meet.
The 3200 wasn’t run until Saturday and that’s where Keller would shine. She ended up as the State champion with a time of 10:20.92.
But there was a mixup in the 3200 which caused Keller some tense moments.
“There were a few slower people in the race because it’s longer,” said Keller “I was already lapping some people. The announcers were getting confused what lap it was. There was a group of three of us and they didn’t know how many laps were left. We came by with two laps to go and the announcer said, ‘oh there’s three laps to go.’ They didn’t ring the bell for the final lap but I still knew it was the last lap.
“When I was coming down the home stretch with a hundred meters to go, the announcers were saying I was coming into my final lap instead of already being the near the end.
“I crossed the finish line and the announcers said, ‘oh, she’s stopped early.” Half the fans were yelling for me to go, go go, and the others knew it was the end. Half said to keep going and the other half said, no you are done.”
“She looked back at me in the stands in the front and I yelled, ‘You’re done Isabella, don’t worry.’ I got a photo of her smiling when she was done and then another of her when she thought she still had a lap to go and the looks were happy and then sad. I think it might have made it more special because of all that.”
Keller claimed the 3200 championship with a time of 10:20.92.
What’s her hope for the future ahead in running?
“Pretty much to set faster times and go on to college,” said Isabella.
Isabella Keller wins the 3200 at the State Track Meet.