On a day when Ankeny senior Vanessa Wise closed out her high school cross country career with a frustrating race, one of her younger teammates offered a tantalizing glimpse of her bright future.
Freshman Mia Heim raced to a 39th-place finish in the Class 4A state meet on Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. She posted a time of 19 minutes 18 seconds on the 5k course.
“My goal for the meet was to try to go sub-19 (minutes),” said Heim. “But ultimately, I just wanted to run my race and compete to the best of my ability. I never really thought about my place. I just wanted to improve from the last time I ran this course.”
Wise, meanwhile, didn’t have the kind of race that she wanted. She placed 118th in 21:24.9.
“I didn’t feel the best about it, but reflecting on my race, I’m still happy with it because at the end of the day I got to run at state and enjoy the experience with Mia,” said Wise. “I got a bad side stitch about 1k into the race and it never went away so that tanked me pretty hard, and that’s what caused me to run differently than I was planning. Because of the side stitch, the race itself wasn’t the most enjoyable, but I did still find ways to enjoy it and take it all in and smile throughout it. And the day as a whole was super enjoyable, and I’m super grateful for the experience. It was a lot of fun.”
First-year Ankeny coach Josh Einertson praised Wise for the impact that she has had on the Hawkettes’ program.
“Her goal was sub-20 today, and unfortunately, we didn’t accomplish that,” he said. “She got a pretty gnarly side stitch about a half mile into the race and just couldn’t hold the paces we wanted to. But I’m so proud of her for fighting through the pain and finishing that race.
“Vanessa means so much to this program, and we are certainly going to miss her. She left a lasting impact on this team. I heard coach (Dan Skelton) say something to her after the race that I couldn’t agree with more. She means so much more to this team than the time on the stopwatch. She’s been our captain, our leader, and someone we could always count on. We are really going to miss having her around, but I’m so happy she was able to end her cross country career at the state meet.
“What a way to finish a career!” he added.
Heim ran the opening mile in 5:50.2, putting her in 43rd place. She dropped back to 49th after running the second mile in 6:22.4.
Heim then moved up 10 spots in the final 1.1 miles.
“My goal is always to finish strong but also compete during the entire race,” Heim said. “I love competing, and I enjoy seeing how many I can get in that final stretch to the finish!”
According to Einertson, Heim performed like a seasoned veteran.
“Mia got some super valuable experience today and ran a heck of a race,” he said. “Our goal coming into today was top 40, and we accomplished that goal! Mia ran today like she was an upperclassman, not a freshman. The race got out hot, and she went with her pack but settled in nicely. You won’t find someone who works harder than Mia. Seeing her grow not only as a runner but as a person has been so cool. It’s been even more fun to see her confidence grow throughout the season and watch her start to race with that confidence.
“The sky is the limit for her, and I’m super excited to see what she accomplishes in the future,” he added.
Although there was a possibility of rain in the forecast, the meet was held in dry conditions.
“I thought (the weather) was about as ideal as you could ask for when it comes to running,” Einertson said. “The temperature was great, and I thought the course was in pretty solid shape overall. There were a couple of spots that were a little dicey, but nothing too crazy. Overall, it was just a really nice day for a race, and I thought the conditions gave everyone a great opportunity to go out and compete!”
