Railers run in the mud to the State Finals finish line

[November 07, 2022] ~ Heitzig siblings earn medals at XC State

The Lincoln Railer cross country trio of Becca Heitzig, Brenden Heitzig and Jake Bivin ran through the mud to the finish line on Saturday at the 2022 IHSA Class 2A XC State Finals at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Despite the horrible running conditions caused by earlier heavy rain, the runners made the best of the situation while battling each other and Mother Nature. With the cold wind also a factor, no one ran a personal best on Saturday, but yet the athletes persevered and made it to the finish line, legs weary and covered in mud.

Congratulations to Brenden Heitzig, Jake Bivin and Becca Heitzig on their incredible finishes at the XC State Finals!

In a field of 234 runners, junior Becca Heitzig finished in third place in the girls race with a time of 17:50.99. The first place runner was Tatum David, a senior from Olney, who completed the race with a time of 17:05.06. Rachel Soukup of Crystal Lake, also a senior, finished in second place with a time of 17:24.51.

Brenden Heitzig finished the boys race in 6th place with a time of 15:28.55. Dylan Nalley of Marion won the race with a time of 14:44.62. Mount Zion’s Julian Baker finished in third place with a time of 15:25.35.

Jake Bivin finished in spot no. 117 with a time of 17:09.88. The boys field consisted of 236 runners.

Both Brenden Heitzig and Jake Bivin are seniors at LCHS.

With every runner on Saturday saying it was the hardest race they had ever ran, the times were about 50 seconds slower than what they should have been under better conditions, according to Lincoln girls track and field coach Gayal Rademaker, who was at Detweiller Park on Saturday cheering on the Railers. She added that the course was solid mud and so slick that it really wore the runner's legs down.

But they are all elite athletes and without a doubt they gave it their best and it’s a race they will likely never forget.

Lincoln Cross Country Coach Andrew Hite was proud of his three runners, not just on Saturday, but all season long.

“They worked very hard this year,” said Hite. “Day in and day out, they never let the pressure stop them from competing. Obviously, there will be obstacles, such as fatigue, soreness and the weather, but they know that the rain falls on everyone the same way. I couldn’t be prouder of their commitment to succeed.”

And succeed, they did. Each of these athletes worked so hard in the off-season to get to Detweiller Park and they did it!

Now let’s hear from the athletes themselves, in their own words, very candidly sharing their thoughts with the LDN readers. Their words are priceless and very much appreciated. These are very busy young people, balancing the pressure of school, sports and life. But through their dedication and hard work, they are showing the community not only their success but they are also inspiring people of all ages.

Let’s start with Lincoln’s 3rd place winner in the girls race and the girl who has already rewritten many track and field records and still has a lot of high school races left in her, Becca Heitzig. Heitzig balanced a very busy volleyball season along with her running career and she excelled at both. On the volleyball court, she earned her 1,000th career dig this season, while whispers in the crowd went like this, “She’s a state-ranked runner, too!”

Becca Heitzig

“I'll start off by telling you my goal which was: top 3. I was hoping that I could get second, but it's hard to tell what the competition will be like when you don't see any of the Chicago schools during the season!”

The Morning

“I wasn't super nervous going in because I knew I was more prepared than I was last year." said Heitzig. "I saw that the wind was going to be bad, so I mentally prepared for that! I had no clue that the mud would be as bad as it was.

"When our team arrived at the meet the 1A runners were running. There was no mud during their race (so they were able to push off the ground and because of that, their times were better). It was raining during their race so the ground was getting torn up and muddy.

"We parked our bus and set up the tent right behind it doing our best to stay warm and out of the rain. After I warmed up, I walked towards the starting line. Walking towards the line I started to see how muddy the course was!!! This started to freak me out a little bit because there was no way to prepare for that. This wasn't going to be a race for time just for place!”

The Race

Heitzig described the competition. “I got a pep talk from THE Johnie Meisner, finished my warm ups, and got on the starting line"

"BOOM -off we go.
"My thoughts during the race:
-oh wow we are going fast
-I feel like I'm sinking
-this mud is worse than I thought it would be
-be careful on the turns you don't want to fall and then have to catch back up

-Tatum David (from Olney 1st place) was already in the lead. I was staying with the second place girl (Rachel Soukup) but she ended up getting away from me too. As Rachel was getting away from me another runner came right by me.
-she came out of nowhere
-come on Becca just stay close and get her in the end
-dang it feels like we are going so fast but our times are slow.
-back into the wind ugh
-push push push you are almost out of it
-this mud won't let me go
-ok Becca you are close enough now it is time to go after her.
-3rd place belongs to me woohoo!
-I can do it push push push almost there"

"After I finish throwing up and recovering from that race, I am greeted by all the fans that came to support me! It was such a happy feeling seeing my parents, friends, teammates, old teammates, friend's parents, grandparents, coaches, aunt, uncle, and cousins!! It was such a great day not just because of the race, but because of all the people!”

I want to thank…

-my parents for motivating me, massaging my legs, dealing with my crazy thoughts, and so much more
-Johnie Meisner for working with my crazy schedule and helping me get hard workouts in. Staying up late and traveling so many miles for me and the team
-Coach Derry and Coach Hite for working with my crazy schedule and being so supportive
-my grandparents and family for always loving me and being the most supportive people in the whole planet
-the school administrators for supporting me and for the assembly before state
-teammates that helped me with training when they could

-Mallory Short for being my warm up buddy all the way through (and her mother Chrissy Short for being a second mother to me)
-all the students that came and cheered me on (it really helps while running)
-teammates parents who are always a bundle of joy
-all the people who told me or commented: good luck
-all the prayers
-Gayal Rademaker, Mary Wood, James Voyles, Drake Rutledge (and his family), Jalen Franz, and so many more!!!

Next up, Becca’s older brother Brenden, who has been very busy lately, not only training to prepare for Cross Country but also traveling across the country making college visits. It will be exciting to see where this runner lands his feet at the college level. Brenden also loves to take eight mile runs before school.

Brenden Heitzig

“Before beginning the race," Brenden Heitzig said, "Jake and I noticed how much the course was beginning to be worn down and torn up. During the Boys and Girls 1A races, it was raining decently which caused them and the 2A Girls to tear up the course. By the time the race began, there were many mud pits and slippery areas.

"Once the race started, I almost fell, but Jake grabbed my back and helped me stay steady. We went off extremely fast, but as I hit the first turn, I noticed how bad the course really was. The mud had made it so it was almost necessary to stop just to get through the area. All of the turns were hard to get around, but the worst part was the final homestretch. This 600 meter stretch was so slippery I had to run on the far sides of the course to still stay up. I ended up not fully being mentally prepared for the race, and that led to me losing to three guys by only three seconds which was very tough, but it was a learning experience to say the least!”

And finally the senior who worked extremely hard to make a successful postseason run, Jake Bivin. Bivin’s mom, Cindy, has captured amazing action shots of these athletes all season long. Jake Bivin made it to XC State and he finished better than half of the pack in the field of 236 runners. That is certainly a respectable finish among the best of the best in the state of Illinois. Bivin, incidentally, changed from his muddy running shoes to his clean basketball shoes Saturday night and he was shooting hoops at the Rec. Bivin will be getting ready to put on the Lincoln Railer basketball uniform real soon. 

Jake Bivin

“As soon as we were arriving at Detweiller Park that morning," said Bivin. "I was watching the 1A girls race out my window, and they were getting pelted with rain and strong winds. 

"For the next few hours, we did our best to stay away from the weather, first in the bus with everybody that had ridden in with us, and second in Brenden’s family’s van when it was time to start getting in the zone. 

"Luckily for us, by the time we were starting to warm up, the rain had stopped, but oh boy, had the wind begun. It felt twenty degrees colder out in that wind. But even that couldn’t bring me down, as Brenden and I had so many people come out to support us, we couldn’t help but be positive. But when the gun went off, it became clear what was really in store for us. 

"As soon as we hit the first turn, I was sliding. It felt like we were just a bunch of baby deer let loose for the first time, and I was wearing half-inch spikes! Throughout the race, everybody was searching for any respite from the mud, running on the side of the course, weaving from side to side, clearing standing puddles like hurdlers! It was very difficult to get any speed, as whenever you would try to speed up, there would either be somebody in front of you in the foot-wide area that was safe to run in, or you would just be like a car stuck in mud, spinning your wheels faster and faster but not really getting anywhere! 

"It is amazing to me that Brenden was able to run as fast as he did, as I felt more sore than I ever have before just trying to survive for three miles! And while Brenden and I both did not run quite as fast as we wanted to or place where we wanted to, even after the race we were swarmed by our families and friends, congratulating us and praising us.  It really did make a difference in our moods. 

"After that, I watched Brenden and Becca get their medals just like last year, and by then I was ready to get out of the wind and go eat! 

"In the end, that race is one that I will never forget. And speaking to this season, it was a blast. I am proud to be able to have a spot on the Lincoln Cross Country team, and I made memories that will last a lifetime.” 

Last but not least, the work of Coach Johnie Meisner is worth mentioning. Becca Heitzig made mention of him in her words, and she’s right, he is THE Johnie Meisner. This man dedicates his time and expertise to these athletes and has developed a relationship with them that inspires and drives them every day in life, not just when they are running. Meisner is widely known among athletes near and far. He has been influencing and changing the lives of young people for decades now and his knowledge is priceless. He would not want the credit, but there is no way his commitment to the LCHS athletes can go unnoticed. So, thanks Coach Meisner for all you do!

AND finally congratulations to Becca, Brenden and Jake! Your success has allowed others in the sport to go from, “Oh, where’s Lincoln?” to “Oh, there’s Lincoln!”  

[Teena Lowery with photos by Cindy

Bivin]