VAIL — Kris Freeman finished fourth in cross country at the nordic world championships last month, missing a medal by 1.3 seconds. Four years earlier he missed a medal by 2.1 seconds.
Now he has all sorts of idle time to think about how close he’s been to becoming the second American man to win a medal in cross country. Four days after the world championships in the Czech Republic, Freeman underwent surgery to relieve compartment syndrome in the muscles of both lower legs, leaving him on crutches and facing a lengthy rehabilitation less than a year before the Vancouver Olympics.
“Going from being fourth in the world to having to walk with crutches overnight is a hard thing to take,” Freeman said.
Another thing the New Hampshire native might ponder when his mind wanders is how much faster he could have skied at worlds if not for the worsening leg problem. He couldn’t do freestyle races because of the pain, and in the 15K classic race where he finished fourth, he couldn’t push off laterally on turns because it hurt too much. That had to be worth a few seconds in a 39-minute race.
“It’s really frustrating, with or without the hindrance,” Freeman said of the 1.3 seconds that separated him from history. “Certainly it is encouraging, going towards Vancouver.”
Freeman participated in the world championships medal ceremony, which he was required to attend for finishing fourth. He spent it with a blank stare on his face, prompting U.S. Ski Team nordic director John Farra to remind Freeman he should be proud.
“I said: ‘Are you all right? This is pretty cool,’ ” Farra said. “He said, ‘I just don’t know whether to be happy or to cry.’ ”
Bill Koch is the only American man to have won medals in cross country, having claimed silver at the 1976 Olympics and bronze at the 1982 world championships. Freeman has been making a run at Koch’s hallowed record despite his predisposition to compartment syndrome that put him through the same surgery in 2001.
“Simplest explanation — your muscle outgrew its covering,” Freeman said. “When you work out, the blood comes in there, has nowhere to go because the muscle can’t expand, that causes numbness and pain.”
That’s not the only medical condition Freeman has had to manage. During a routine medical checkup in 2000, doctors discovered he has Type 1 diabetes and told him his career as an elite endurance athlete probably was over. Freeman wasn’t about to walk away, but managing his illness has been a challenge.
“There’s no one else who has done this in an endurance sport, at this level,” Freeman said. “I’m pioneering my own way. There are no tracks to follow.”
Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler also is a diabetic, of course, but if he needs an insulin shot during a game it’s not that difficult to give him one. In cross country racing, it would be a serious complication.
“Unlike football, you don’t get to stop once the event starts,” Freeman said. “There’s no timeouts. You have to be totally ready to go once it’s time to go.”
Elite track and field sprinters look fast even when they’re relaxing in a chair. Freeman radiates intensity even when he’s reclining on a therapy bench, drawing letters of the alphabet with his toes as part of his rehab.
“I’m not patient at all,” Freeman said. “I do know that I have time, it is March, it’s not pressing. But for sure I’d rather be skiing right now, rather than making alphabets with my feet.”
At age 28, Freeman presumably hasn’t reached his peak as an endurance athlete. If he’s healthy going into the Vancouver Olympics, he will be a legitimate medal contender with a chance to make history.
“When I was 6 years old, I had ski posters up in my room and I was like, ‘Wow, it would be so cool to be one of those guys,’ ” Freeman said. “Now I’ve got some of my own posters. To be one of the best in the world on the day it matters most . . . It’s just a lifelong dream.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
