US News
Cross Country
National Finals
12/14/02 at Balboa Park, San Diego CA

After the race . . .

by John Dye

Here are some random interviews with runners when all the shouting had died.

Zoe Nelson
1st place

Q: Are there lots of hills in Montana where you run?
A: Yes. It's pretty hilly. I train on hills a lot and I race on hills a lot. I just really like running on hills. I think that's where I can usually get ahead.

Q: Did you look back [during the race]?
A: A couple of times I did. I kept hearing people cheering for other runners and I wasn't sure where they were, so I was a little bit nervous.

Q: Was there a point were you felt, OK I've got this?
A: About a half mile left, I heard the announcer saying "Zoe Nelson will be the champion." That made me pretty happy but it didn't really hit me. I didn't get real excited until the end, because I knew anything could happen that could take it away from me.

Q: Compare this course to last year's.
A: I like this course much better. I like the hill. Last year it was just kind of rolling and I think that really didn't help me at all. It was kind of monotonous, and everything the same. Kind of easy to get into a bit of a trance, and just not even be thinking about the race. The weather, with no humidity, is a lot better for me. And the time zone so I don't have so much jet lag.

Q: Did you have your sideache today?
A: No, I didn't. I had it when I was warming up, and I was getting kind of worried about it. I had it every day when I was training all week, so I was really worried about that. But I just didn't think about it once I got into the race. I just tried to breathe deep, especially in the start, because that is where you can get so caught up in it that you forget to breathe and you can get one. So I just concentrated on breathing in all the way just to make sure that nothing went wrong.

Q: What did you learn from last year?
A: I think I've improved a lot. I had a lot more summer training, which I think helped me get a very strong base. Also, having been here before gave me knowledge of the race and the competition and just the whole experience. Coming here before helped prepare me to concentrate on the race more instead of everything else that's going on. There's just so much going on. I did have a lot of fun this year, but I tried to concentrate on my race a lot more this year.

Q: Did you get to sleep last night?
A: Yes, I got a lot of sleep. But I woke up kind of early (5:30) and couldn't go back to sleep because I was so nervous.


Ari Lambie
22nd place, one of the pre-race favorites

Q: You've been sick this week.
A: For sure, I felt so awful yesterday I didn't think I'd be able to run. I started feeling better last evening, and this morning I woke feeling strong. Then when I started running today in warmups, I knew I wasn't better. But I kind of wanted to push that aside and try it anyway. I did better than I might have done, better than if I hadn't run. So I'm pretty disappointed.

Q: Were you weak from the begining or did it kick in at some point during the race?
A: I felt OK in the beginning, but I think that was pure adrenalin. I still wanted to win. And they were within my reach for a long time, but I just didn't have the strength to go after them.

Q: Will you run indoors?
A: Yes. I'm not sure which indoor nationals we will go to.

Q: Which event will you concentrate on outdoors?
A: the mile

Q: What kind of goal?
A: Oh, we'll start at 4:50, and maybe move it down to 4:45.


Wesley Smith
2nd place

Q: Did you think during the race you could win?
A: I never really had a chance to worry about Chris, but I knew that Nef was beatable.

Q: Nef had beaten you three times. What made the difference today?
A: I just held with him longer. The earlier he beats me in a race, the more I run for second. Today, we all went out controlled. I saw that he was with me, and that's something new to be with Nef at two and a half miles. So I considered why not go for it. It's the last race of the season.

Q: How did you like this course compared to the Midwest?
A: I love this course. It's not incredibly easy or flat. It's got the hills. You've got to concentrate or it'll kill you. This course shows who are the best cross country runners in the nation.

Q: Great day for the Midwest.
A: I'm pumped. We heard some quotes online from the West people, saying stuff, so we came out here wanting to prove ourself. Although we graduate people, we come back every year.


Nef Araia
4th place, caught at the finish by Bobby Curtis

Q: Nef, tell me about the race.
A: It was everything I expected. I finished a couple places back from where I'd have liked to, but I gave it everything I had. Today, Chris, and Wes and Bob were just better than I am, and I commend them and everyone else in this race.

Q: Compare the course to last year.
A: I like this course so much better than Orlando. It's a true cross country course and really tough.

Q: Comment on the flow of the race.
A: It spread out a lot faster than I thought it would. I just tried to cover every move that I saw. I was really patient in the beginning of the race. Everybody here is so used to running in front by themselves, and that didn't work for me last year. I wanted to learn from my mistakes. So I just hung back all the way through the first loop all the way to the first hill. I knew people were going to hit it hard and walk the next time. You should just let your efficiency get you up the hill.

Q: What are your goals now for the rest of the year.
A: I want to run winter nationals at Houston and try to qualify for the world juniors. Then we will go to one of the indoor nationals and do a bunch of relays and possibly the 2 mile. Before the year is over I want to win nationals, as many times as possible.

Q: What event will you concentrate on in the spring.
A: At my state meet I'm going to double, mile and 2 miles.

Q: What are your time goals?
A: Definitely 8:55 and hopefully a little better if I'm lucky, and around 4:10.

Kippy Keino
15th place, after running in 5th place at 2.5 miles

Q: What happened?
A: The last hill got to me. It was tough, really tough. People outkicked me. It's OK, though. It was a very tough race, very competitive. I enjoyed it.

Q: What kind of goals do you have the rest of the year?
A: Hopefully run under 8:55 for 2 miles, and 4:06 or 4:07 for 1600 meters.

Q: Which meets are you planning on?
A: Nike Indoor for sure. This year I'll try to run in a lot more competitive races than I did last year.

Ryan Deak
12th place

Q: Tell me about the race.
A: It went a little faster than I wanted to. Coming up the hill the second time, guys around me were going pretty slow. That's a killer hill. The first time it's all right. The adrenalin is still pumping. But then when you come to the hill the second time, it's like, "Oh no." The first time, I went cautious on the downhill. Then the second time I let my arms go and totally flew down. It felt so great. I gave it all I had the last 200 meters.

Q: Are you happy with your finish?
A: Yes. Going in, my realistic goal was 10th or 12th. I just wanted to run to my maximum potential, and that's what I did today.

Q: What are your goals for indoor and outdoor track?
A: I'm going to a couple of indoor races to have fun, probably the U-Kentucky and the Nike Indoor. I'll probably be going to Houston to try to qualify for the junior world cross country.


Galen Rupp
DNF - fell while running 9th with 300 meters to go

Q: What happened?
A: My breathing wasn't doing too well today. I didn't really feel that great from the start. With about 300 meters to go, I fell down and collapsed. I was hyper ventilating a lot.

Q: Did your foot bother you? [Galen has had a sore foot for several weeks.]
A: No, not really. It's a little sore now, but that wasn't a factor at all.

Q: Have you ever had breathing problems before, like asthma?
A: Yes, I have asthma symptoms, but it's never been this bad. Usually my lungs are a little sore after a race, but not during.

Q: What are your plans for outdoor?
A: I'll probably run a couple of 5k's on the track. I had a lot of fun doing that at junior nationals last year. I'll also run a lot of 2 miles and 3k. I haven't decided what meets I will run in after our state meets.

Q: I'm sure it was disappointing.
A: Yes, but I still have a couple more years . . . plenty more races to run.

 

Ruth Graham
12th place

Q: How do you feel about the race?
A: I had a good race. [first California runner]

Q: Describe the race.
A: In the third mile, my mind started to wander and I had to ask myself what my objective was. We were passing a man calling out places . . . 17, 18, 19. I suddenly said to myself, "I don't want to finish 18th." So I dug down deep and passed a bunch of people on the hill."

 

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