Caleb Durden                                                                                                                                  

A New Beginning          

Caleb Durden moved from Texas to the state of Indiana in the summer of 2018. Playing basketball at his old school Round Rock High, Durden has some athletic experience under his belt. Caleb decided that he would rather pursue track and shy away from competitive basketball. “I wanted to try something that was new but also something that I knew I could compete in.” 

Caleb was born with a condition called chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura which allows his body to break down his own blood platelets so that his blood doesn’t clot easily. This condition prevents Caleb from playing contact sports like football, rugby, hockey, etc. It prevents him from playing due to his head injury risk. If he were to be hit in the head with enough force for his brain to bleed, his chance of living is significantly lower than someone without the condition. “I don’t feel my condition has set me back in life,” Durden said, “I am still able to compete in different sports like basketball and track at a high level.”  

Friend and teammate, Noah Malone, has encouraging words for Caleb. “He has put in massive amounts of work this season and it is clearly paying off,” Malone said, “I admire his work ethic because it encourages me to work harder.”  

Caleb has enjoyed the track season so far and is looking forward to more. “My teammates and I have performed fairly well this season,” Durden said, “we can’t wait to finish strong!”