Lake City senior aims to make run for title
When Lake City long-distance runner C.J. Helbling was a freshman, he was an immediate challenger for a state championship.
Now in his senior year, Helbling continues to be a state-title contender. And if he doesn’t capture what has proven so far to be elusive, he will be completely at peace.
“It would be nice to get a state title, but it’s not everything,” Helbling said. “There’s more to life than running.”
That future may include a career in health care. Helbling, who carries a 4.01 grade-point average, wants to study something in the medical field. His parents are emergency room nurses.
To capture a state title, Helbling most likely will have to beat his nemesis, Boise senior Eric Fitzpatrick.
When Helbling took 10th as a freshman, just one freshman finished ahead of him – Fitzpatrick, who placed seventh.
Helbling improved to third as a sophomore. Fitzpatrick improved as well, winning state.
Last year, Helbling took second – one spot behind Fitzpatrick.
The natural progression for Helbling would be to improve one more spot this year. To do so, he will have to dethrone Fitzpatrick.
He knows he’s capable. He’s beaten Fitzpatrick in other races. In fact, in the race Helbling is most proud of, the Foot Locker West Regional last fall, he took seventh, beating Fitzpatrick and qualifying for nationals. The top 10 in four regional races advanced to nationals. Helbling took 24th out of 40 at nationals.
Last fall at Eagle Island State Park near Boise, though, Helbling came as close as he ever has in beating Fitzpatrick at state.
Helbling pushed the pace early. And he paid for it in the end, running out of gas with about 40 meters remaining. When he reached the finish line, he had to walk across the tape.
“I thought I could break him, but I gave too much too early,” said Helbling, who finished in 15 minutes, 57.92 seconds – nine seconds behind Fitzpatrick. “The second mile I did a 4:30 pace. I think I had him at that point. But Eric is a strong runner, too, and he’s not going to give up. The last 40 meters I couldn’t move. I was so fatigued and in so much oxygen debt. It wasn’t a smart race on my part.”
Two weeks later, Helbling (15:34.4) beat Fitzpatrick (15:52.7) on the same course at the NXN Northwest Regional. Another two weeks later, Helbling (15:49) beat Fitzpatrick (16:22) again by about 30 seconds at the Foot Locker West Regionals.
So Helbling knows he can beat Fitzpatrick. It’s not a matter of having to prove anything.
Helbling is ranked 14th in the nation by dyestat.com and Fitzpatrick is listed among the honorable mention.
“He’s running better than he ever has,” LC coach Justin Taylor said. “He’s really just come into his own this year. The Foot Locker experience last fall made a big difference.”
Helbling had to take the track season off last spring after suffering an injury training in the winter. He was doing a workout in late January when he felt something pop near his hip.
“I’d done a six-mile run in the morning and a lower-body workout at school and then went on a speed workout after school,” Helbling said. “I felt something pop.”
He felt pain immediately. So he thought if he gave it some time – with track season about two weeks away – the injury would heal.
Time off didn’t help. So Helbling’s mother made an appointment to see a doctor.
“I thought it was a muscle, and that it would heal with time,” he said.
An MRI revealed that Helbling had suffered a stress fracture in the femoral neck where the bone connected to the hip socket. It required surgery.
He took the month of April off from running. He started running again lightly in early May and considered briefly trying to come back for track in time for state.
“I was too out of shape to try it,” Helbling said.
So he spent the summer trying to regain his form.
“It took me all summer to get back into shape,” he said.
Helbling, who enjoys restoring vehicles in his free time, started running in fifth grade.
“I wasn’t any good at any of the other sports because I lacked coordination,” he said, smiling.