Photo: Rocky Mountain graduate Hallie Heemeyer (#16) competes at the HOKA Festival of Miles (Credit: WestCoastXC

Recent Rocky Mountain graduate and BYU signee Hallie Heemeyer wrapped up a historic and record breaking high school career on June 4 at HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis.

She finished the high school girls championship mile in 4:46.05, placing 10th in a stacked field. Including Heemeyer, six of the 15 athletes who competed in the high school girls championship mile had previously broken 4:41 for the mile. Ellery Lincoln, a junior from Lincoln High School in Portland, Ore., ran 4:27.65 to win the race and move her to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list. Lincoln led the top five finishers all under 4:40.

Heemeyer, who became Idaho's all-time fastest on record for high school girls mile with her 4:40.42 in April at Nike Jesuit/Twilight Relays in Portland, described HOKA Festival of Miles as unlike any other meet she had competed in before. Part of her race took place in the dark, different colored lights illuminated along the curves of the track to indicate the pace the leaders were running and a pacer led their race for the first two laps.

"The atmosphere was insane," Heemeyer said Monday by phone. "I feel like the best way to describe HOKA Festival of Miles is such a party, but a party where people run really fast. If I wasn't a senior, I definitely would want to come back next year. The lights were flashing and they had loud music. The gun went off and the pacer was pacing like 2:13 because Ellery Lincoln was trying to break 4:30."

HOKA Festival of Miles took place three weeks after Idaho's high school track state championships, where Heemeyer won the 6A girls 800 and 1,600 titles, placed second in the 3,200 and was part of Rocky Mountain's fourth-place 4x400. She said she focused on recovery the week following the state meet, then gradually built back up her fitness as she trained with her coaches.

Heemeyer said her goal for HOKA Festival of Miles was to break 4:40 and place in the top five.

"I think that was such an amazing opportunity even though I didn't hit those goals," Heemeyer said. "Racing in such a stacked field, I don't think I've been in a race like that ever. I felt like it was a great learning experience for me and a fun opportunity for me to go outside my comfort zone."

Heemeyer said the high school athletes were 'spoiled' by HOKA upon arrival in St. Louis. She not only got to race in a HOKA uniform, but received a backpack, duffle bag, trainers, spikes, various race kits, spandex, shorts and a sweat set.

"When we got there, they did the gear drop," Heemeyer said. "We got so much swag. They spoiled us. It was super fun to kinda rock that for a couple days."

Festival of Miles featured 800 meters and 1-mile races, with five different divisions for the 1-mile including a professional men's final and professional women's final. Heemeyer said she was able to see the high school championship girls and boys 800s and the boys and girls Missouri Miles before she took to the track. 

Additionally, she was able to meet athletes in person she had previously only heard and read about. She had raced with Lincoln and Niwot (Colo.)'s Addy Ritzenhein previously, but nearly all the other athletes were new to her.

"The whole season, I've been hearing a bunch of these names," Heemeyer said. "We were all staying in the same hotel. It was neat to see (California's) Braelyn Combe and Addy Ritzenhein. We were kinda racing next to each other. Ellery Lincoln, she's so sweet and she's incredible. It's always such a fun opportunity to be able to meet all these high level athletes. At the end of the day, we were all trying to help each other have the best race possible."

Heemeyer said this was her first visit to St. Louis, and her family traveled with her and spent the day after the race sightseeing at the zoo and going to the top of the Gateway Arch. 

Heemeyer, who leaves to BYU later this summer to begin her collegiate career, graduated Rocky Mountain as school record holder in girls cross country (16:29.2 for the 5k), the 800 meters, 1,600 meters, the mile, the 3,200 (No. 1 all-time Idaho 10:13.81) and as part of the 4x800 in 2024 with Emmeline Hamm, Belle Draney and Brighton Heywood (9:06.62) and distance medley 4,000-meter relay with Draney, Lily Munson and Chloe Pollock in 2024 (12:23.59). Her personal bests of 10:13.81 for the 3,200, 4:40.42 for the mile and 4:38.76 for the 1,600 are No. 1 all-time on record in Idaho, as is the 4x800 school record. 

As of Sunday evening, Heemeyer's 4:40.42 for the mile is No. 9 in the U.S. and her 4:38.76 for the 1,600 is No. 12 in the U.S. on athletic.net.

Of the five sub-4:45 times for the girls 1,600 on record in Idaho, Heemeyer has run three of them. For reference, one mile is equal to approximately 1,609 meters.

"It's been incredible," Heemeyer said. "I feel so grateful for all the races I was able to run, all the opportunities I was able to have. It's interesting after you sign for college and you commit to a team, some people ask, 'can you just kinda chill?' Well no, I still have these big goals. I still want to run fast and show what I've been capable of. I'm so grateful for everyone that helped me reach those goals. It's bittersweet now that it's over."

Heemeyer said her favorite memories of this season involve traveling to big meets like Nike Jesuit with her team, adding that her freshman self could have never imagined where she would be as a senior.

"I didn't even run track freshman year because I was injured," Heemeyer said. "I remember feeling so sad. I just never, never thought I could maybe someday get to this point. It's been so fun soaking up all the last memories with my teammates. It's just been such a blessing to kind of represent Idaho and just everyone who has helped me get to this point, give it all out on the track for them and follow in the footsteps of lots of the top athletes that have come before me."

Heemeyer took down two prominent records set by one of the athletes whose footsteps she followed. Lexy Halladay-Lowry, a 2020 Mountain View graduate, eight-time All-American at BYU and current Nike professional runner who Heemeyer met in December at Nike Cross Nationals, held Idaho's all-time girls mile and 1,600 records until this season. Heemeyer and recent Boise graduate Audrey Orme placed second and third to Ellery Lincoln in the mile at Nike Jesuit/Twilight Relays in April with respective times of 4:40.42 and 4:42.58, and their converted 1,600 times of 4:38.76 and 4:40.81 both broke Halladay-Lowry's all-time Idaho 1,600 record of 4:43.74 from 2019 to put them into the top 10 in the U.S. for a few weeks simultaneously. Heemeyer's 4:40.42 mile also broke Halladay-Lowry's all-time Idaho record 4:41.80 from 2017. As of Sunday, both Heemeyer and Orme are still ranked in the top 20 in the U.S. for the girls mile on athletic.net.

Heemeyer described running as a pure, beautiful sport and said she has learned so much about pursuing goals over the last year. 

"I feel like I've just learned that if you have big goals no matter what your circumstances, if you want it bad enough and you put in the work and dedication, you will be able to accomplish your goals," Heemeyer said. "Not everything will go according to plan, but if you keep working hard, eventually you'll get there. It also teaches you what's most important. You should always try to set those big goals because you'll get so much farther than what you thought possible. Everyone has so much potential. I feel like running is such a pure sport. It just shows how mentally tough, how physically tough you are. It's such a beautiful sport, running for yourself and running for others."