IOWA CITY, Iowa — There’s a bridge on the Noelridge Park cross country course that sits within a mile of the finish line. It’s where the crowd started. It’s where the noise began to brew.

Evan Hansen will never forget the scene.

“When I crossed the bridge,” the City High sophomore recalled, “I think almost everyone still at Noelridge was there. They were clapping. Some were crying, I think. It was pretty loud.”

This was long after most of Thursday’s MVC Super Meet had concluded, but those still around couldn’t leave, wouldn’t leave. They didn’t want to miss a moment.

See, Hansen had a friend. Washington’s Adam Todd — a junior who has epilepsy and associated autism — often becomes distracted during meets and had veered off course earlier in the race after a passing ambulance grabbed his attention.

But there was Hansen to lend a helping hand, literally. Todd and Hansen locked hands about halfway through the race and finished the race as such. The crowd roared as the duo crossed the bridge. The following only strengthened as they finished out the final leg.

Todd finished, then Hansen. The results hardly mattered.

“It was a really neat display of this is what it’s all about,” said Adam’s mother, Sara. “This is what’s important. It not only good sportsmanship, but just taking care of each other.

“I think to have a peer stick with you, that’s really special.”

It’s been several years now that Adam has ran cross country, an activity Sara says has positively impacted their family in numerous ways. Not only does the rigorous and grueling sport keep Adam active in a productive manner, but cross country also allows him to interact with peers and feel connected despite any physical limitations.

Over the years, Adam has had teammates and peer educators run with alongside to keep him on track. Fellow competitors — including other students from North Scott, Aplington-Parkersburg and City — have helped guide Adam during races this season.

“He loves to run,” Sara said. “The course at Noelridge, it’s a great course, but it’s a little tough because there are several places where you go right by this really busy road, then you go by a playground. So I was thinking, ‘Oh boy, this one’s going to take him a long time.'”

Even on a challenging course, Adam’s smile and determination never wavered.

“The gun goes off, and he’s like everyone else: He charges down the straightaway from the starting box and gets at it,” Washington cross country coach Will Harte said. “He’s got speed. He’s a good runner, and he gets going. But at some point in the race, he needs focus.

“… It says a lot about coach (Jayme) Skay and City High, the values that he tries to instill in the runners. I think it says a lot obviously about Evan and the values his parents have instilled in him. And I think it says something about the sport of cross country. Cross country is an individual sport, but it’s also a team sport.”

That was evident during the race’s final stretch. Everyone was ecstatic.

“Coming up the finish line I was getting choked up,” Skay said. “All the fans were yelling, all the City High kids. There was just a huge smile on Adam’s face. And Evan, he’s such a good kid. For him to take time out and do that, I know he was feeling it coming in.”

Thursday marked Hansen’s first race this season. The sophomore has dealt with growth pains in his knees all year, thus making it extremely difficult to run and push through entire races. He said he didn’t “hurt as bad” leading up to Thursday’s meet, so he decided to give it a go.

In a way, he said, Adam was doing the helping.

“In the last stretch, I was definitely very tired,” Hansen said with a laugh. “He was kind of carrying me along.

“It was pretty cool.”