Determined Runner Finishes Race After Tearing Achilles

GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) - A track runner from Idaho State University finished a race after suffering an injury that would have most down for the count.

Shelby Erdahl was running in the 400 meter finals of the Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley last weekend. As soon as the starting gun fired, she came off the blocks and ruptured her Achilles tendon.

Instead of calling for a medic, though, Erdahl got up and limped the rest of the way to the finish line. She even cleared each hurdle to make the run legal and avoid being disqualified.

"I didn't want my last memory of track and field to be me rolling off the track without finishing. That way I can finish my career crossing the finish line in the finals," she said.

Erdahl is a senior and was running in her first finals race. She told CBS Sports it was a longtime goal of hers to score for her team, and since she made the finals, all she needed to do was finish.