You could say Ridgeview junior Albert Hesse knows the course where the Intermountain Conference cross-country meet will be held pretty well — and with good reason.

“I set it up,” Hesse said.

Hesse and his teammates put flags up around Juniper Golf Course to prepare it for the Oct. 8 district preview meet, at the same location the IMC meet will be held. He said that helps him know what areas of the course he needs to run faster in.

“We walk the course before every race,” he said. “It’s different when you set it up.”

And Hesse ran away with the preview competition, completing the 5,000-meter course in 15 minutes, 56.1 seconds, more than half a minute faster than his closest competitor in the race with 121 entrants. It was the fifth-fastest time in Class 5A this season.

“I just ran my own race that day,” he said. “I was told by one of my coaches to do what I know best, and I experienced it for myself.”

The same five schools will be at it again Friday, with the first race scheduled for 2 p.m.

“I know how fast I can run now,” Hesse said. “I just need to somehow predict what my race is going to look like and just base (my run) off of that.”

The Juniper preview was hardly Hesse’s only strong performance this year. He has three wins and five top-10 finishes.

In 2015, he finished sixth at districts (then held in Bend) and 18th at the state meet. Hesse’s personal-best time has decreased nearly a minute from his best of 16:54 two years ago, which gives him a good chance to return to state.

The top two teams and top seven individual finishers at the district race qualify for the Nov. 5 state championships in Eugene.

Cross-country isn’t the only sport where Hesse excels. He finished seventh as a sophomore in the 3,000 meters at the state track meet in May.

And Hesse will return to nordic skiing at the end of the month. Last season, he finished 19th in the 6.2K freestyle at the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association state meet at Mt. Bachelor.

Over the summer, Hesse took part in roller skiing with the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, making for some interesting rides along the sides of hilly roads in Bend.

“You don’t want to crash, and they don’t have brakes on them,” he said.

Both snow and road skiing help with aerobic breathing, which prepares Hesse for running track and cross-country, he said. They also help improve his arm strength.

“You do use your arms when you run,” he said.

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com