By DENISE ELAM
Features Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Kirk Pedersen, cross-country head coach and track and field co-head coach, returned to coaching in January after suffering serious health issues during summer 2015.

PHOTO BY KATIE CASSIDY/PHOTOGRAPHER
Coach Kirk Pedersen shouts for his athlete, junior Jami Clay, to move at a recent cross-country invitational in Kansas.

“I had a stroke going back over a year ago in the summer,” Pedersen said. “I was out running and I got dizzy. So I went to the doctor and they said ‘Hey, you’ve got some issues there and it’s plugged. You need to clean that up. So we’re going to put a stint in there.’”

Pedersen said there was a problem with the stint.

“I was out cleaning up the cross-country course and I felt terrible,” Pedersen said. “I could tell I had a headache and then I just dropped right there.”

Pedersen said he had a stroke.

“And then I (had) another heart attack with it with a plug in that. I don’t remember it at all. Boom, I was gone,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen said he was in the hospital for two months.

“I don’t know why I was there. I can’t remember…. Somehow I was in Nebraska and I don’t know why,” Pedersen said.

Ben Barrows, an adjunct professor of math and volunteer assistant cross-country coach, helped coach the teams during Pedersen’s absence. Barrows said he ran under Pedersen for five years before becoming the assistant cross-country coach.

“Two weeks into the season he had a stroke and that changed my plans a lot and I felt that it was my duty to try to take over a little bit while he was gone and try to keep things just like he would do them,” Barrows said. “I learned so much from over five years that I feel like I know what he would do in certain situations and I try to do exactly that throughout the year.”

Barrows said it was a difficult but enlightening experience.

“My first experience was the head coach going down for a year and then it was on me,” Barrows said. “I had a lot of support from other coaches and administration, but it was really difficult for me because I was just kind of thrown into the fire and had to figure a lot of things out on my own. But this year with Kirk back, I’ve been able to kind of follow his lead and learn from him a lot more.”

Barrows said it was a difficult time for the teams because so many people were close with Pedersen.

“Not having him here was just different…he’s here every day, we work with him every day and now he’s all of a sudden gone,” Barrows said. “But we tried to make it as positive thing as we could. We wanted to keep the ball rolling for just when he came back it would be like we didn’t skip a beat and keep going. But I saw a lot of people thrive off the challenge of it. And we did have our difficult times. I made my mistakes (and) they made their mistakes, as happens any year. But I think we did learn a lot from the experience.”

Pedersen continues to undergo therapy. He said he forgot the names of people he knew really well, so his biggest obstacle is overcoming that memory loss.

“(There were) seniors that I couldn’t remember,” Pedersen said. “I had this girl named Megan who was a national qualifier, finished fifth. And I couldn’t remember her name.”

Pedersen said he also had trouble writing work outs for the team when he returned.

“Right now there’s still a process that I’m going through, but I feel fortunate to be here right now,” Pedersen said. “I know I’ve come a long way and I know it’s a ways to go and it’s a process. And that’s difficult some days when you’re working hard and you think next week you’re going to be better.”

Nicole Svendsen, who is on the cross-country team and runs distance for track and field, said it’s nice to have Pedersen back.

“You could definitely feel his absence a little bit last year…and I think it’s just pulled the girls together a little bit in a different way,” Svendsen said. “It’s nice to have him here for training and just, he’s really encouraging so it’s nice to have him around.”

Pedersen said the best part of returning is being back with everybody. He said he hadn’t missed a team in 25 years until last year.

“I think a lot of them struggled last year, the athletes did, and now seeing the process — especially our women — are at a much higher level I think, so that’s fun to watch that,” Pedersen said. “They’re having fun. I think some of them think it’s because of me, but really it’s I’m just there watching them do it. “

Pedersen said he hopes to be able to go on a run again someday.

“Hopefully that’ll happen. (I) don’t know,” Pedersen said. “Somedays I’m sure it’s gonna happen and the next day I’m thinking ‘No way can I do that.’ So it’s a process.”

Barrows said he thinks it’s amazing how far Pedersen has come in a year.

“Everybody, even doctors, they weren’t sure if he was going to be back or when he’d be back at 100 percent, but every goal that was set for him — be out of a wheel chair at this time, be walking without a cane at this time — he beat every single one of those goals and he’s still surpassing everybody’s expectations with what he’s able to do,” Barrows said. “I think the work ethic and mentality that he brings into his rehab and training every day to get back to where he was, I think the team can definitely learn from that and he sets a great example for all of us to just move forward and get better.”