Last Saturday wasn’t Freedom junior Alex Heidemann’s first trip to the PIAA State Cross Country Championships in Hershey, but a few things had changed in the year of the coronavirus.

Races were divided into heats, so Heidemann ran in the fourth of four 3A boys’ heats in the late afternoon, even though he would have preferred to run with the huge pack that races all at once as in past years.

“I went out really well. My first mile was 5:08, and my second mile was just under 11:00, but then I kind of fell off,” he said.

Freedom coach Bob Thear knew Heidemann was spent, just by looking at him after the second mile. It was an unusually warm 75 degrees for the beginning of November.

“There were a lot of DNF’s (Did Not Finish). When you’re running in those conditions in early September, it’s great, but not November,” said Thear.

Heidemann did finish, and he was close to the top half of the field overall with a time of 17:45.

“I wanted to do really well at districts, so once I got past districts, I never got as mentally into states,” said Heidemann.

Coach Thear knew it would be hard to refocus Heidemann after his exceptional performance at the district meet two weeks ago.

“To get to states is really tough,” Thear said, “and the race was different [this year]. It didn’t feel the same at all.

There was no opportunity to walk or run the course prior to the race. There were fewer spectators and no team tents. But there was a season, and Coach Thear is grateful to have had one.

And Heidemann is setting his sights on a new sports season.

“Mindset-wise, I’m already looking on to track,” he said.