When Cody Helbling stepped up to the starting line at Saturday’s WAC championship meet, he did so carrying a burden he didn’t have to account for during the five meets preceding the conference championships.
It was not that of an upperclassman trying to lead an otherwise young Vandal squad, nor that of someone trying to return to form after taking a year off from competing.
Helbling’s burden was far more emotional, as his wife had given birth to their first child less than two days before the meet, traditionally the most important of the season.
Following a whirlwind of emotions, Helbling found himself near the front of the pack on the 8-kilomter course, with only teammate Nicholas Boersma ahead of him.
He held on to second place and was the middle piece of a 1-2-3, finish for Idaho, which finished second overall.
“I didn’t quite know if I was going to make it here, but I felt pretty committed to the guys and coach,” Helbling said after the race.
The junior finished in 25 minutes, 26 seconds, six seconds slower than Boersma, who claimed first and five seconds faster than sophomore Santos Vargas, who checked in at third.
“For Cody to do everything that he did in that 48-hour period of time … It’s the prime example of the type of guy Cody is,” coach Wayne Phipps. “It’s unbelievable how well he performed in spite of all those distractions and emotions that were going on.”
Helbling, who originally chose BYU over Idaho, spent two years with the Cougars before opting out of a third year, one that he would use to focus on academics.
When his wife Nicole graduated from the Provo school, the pair moved to Idaho to be closer to family. Shortly after, Helbling walked on to Phipps’ cross country team.
His 2013 results aren’t exactly reflective of the time he spent away from the sport. Helbling was Idaho’s top finisher in every regular season race, with the exception of the conference championships.
He was more than happy, however, to leave that role to Boersma for one race.
“I’ve been riding a wave emotions and I’m just glad that Nick was able to bring it home and I couldn’t be happier for the team,” Helbling said.
Helbling will return to a deep Idaho squad next season, when the team will compete in the Big Sky Conference.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]