Before Mary Cain, there was Lukas Verzbicas. In 2011, the running phenom crushed the national high school record for two miles (8:29:46) and became just the 5th American schoolboy ever to break four minutes in the mile (3:59:71). In 2013, just his entry into a California turkey trot is big news, the Oceanside-Camp PendletonPatch reported.

Following a disappointing freshman season at Oregon he didn't even complete, Verzbicas returned to his true love, the triathlon, in 2012. That summer, he fell off his bike and sustained a career-threatening spinal cord injury and temporary paralysis in one of his legs. One surgeon, according to Verzbicas, told his parents he'd never walk again. The prognosis was never given to Verzbicas, who cited a twitchy feeling in his leg as the impetus for his comeback, Patch reported.

"The surgeon told my family I wouldn't walk again, but thankfully no one told me that," Verzbicas said. "After I had a little twitch in my legs, I decided if my legs can move that much, then I will not just run but I will be better than I was before."

Since he's resumed training, every race he's entered is a story.

But the real news from last week's Patch article was when Verzbicas stated his ambitions to qualify for the 2016 Olympic team in not only the triathlon (his current specialty) but also the 5,000 or 10,000. For someone who must also spend time in the pool and on the bike while his competition dedicates all their time to running, qualifying for a distance event on the track seems a bit unrealistic.

Except Verzbicas believes his best chance at running success is by training for the triathlon. He blames his poor performances at Oregon (he ran just two races) on the absence of cross training, according to Patch.

"My running was 'going backwards' through dead legs caused by increased training instead of the cross training I was used to," Verzbicas told Patch. "As a full time runner I actually got slower and that's when I realized I needed to swim and bike to be at my best as a runner."

Over a year out from his crash, the 20 year-old former junior world champion in the triathlon hasn't returned to form yet, but he said he's close.

"I will be running for the win," said Verzbicas. "I am still coming back from my spinal cord injury last year and am in a heavy training block right now. I am very excited to run alongside 10,000 of my fellow Southern Californians for my first Thanksgiving down here in San Diego. It is also very encouraging to be part of an event that gives back so much to its community. I'm honored to be a part of it."