Friday at Finals

Course Walk, Practice Runs, Interviews, Elite Athlete Panel

Interviews - Elite Athletes Panel Discussion - the course in pictures - Practice Runs -

"Run the course we walked today." National Coordinator Max Mayo

Ricky Quintana notes and quotes runners at the course Friday after the course walk.

After the walkthrough on Friday, the runners lamented on the course. A lot of them declared that the wood chips and footing would be a problem. Overall, though, the runners were feeling pretty good about the course and the difficulty.
The course was definitely more challenging than expected. The fastest times, 14:36 by Reuben Reina and 16:39 by Melody Fairchild, indicated that it was indeed a fast course, but no one talked about setting a course record.
After the walkthrough, the runners went through their pre race routine. They then boarded a bus which took them back to the hotel. They were free to roam as they wished until dinner time.
The Hotel del Coronado is a lavish hotel which has many things to do. Shopping, the beach and several eateries dot the premises. From the hotel, one can see the battleships and aircraft carriers in the distance. Also the cliffs of La Jolla can be seen. For the most part, no one ventured on the beach as signs warned of a strong undertow. Plus, though sunny, the temperatures were cool with the breeze coming off the Pacific.
One room that seemed to be very popular, was room 3126. The room housed the NIKE rep, Josh Rowe, and an array of NIKE equipment. The runners received sundry equipment in a large duffle bag the first day and could go to the room to make exchanges. Each region team had a color and the runner's equipment was in those colors. Most of the athletes exchanged their special camouflaged colored Kennedy cross country spike. There were more items in that room than anyone could keep track of.
Later, in the evening, the runners were treated to a pre race spaghetti meal. The meal ended and a 15 minute video was played. In the professionally done video, the highlights of each region were shown. Some of the athletes were interviewed and each of the 64 participants were shown as music played in the background.
Afterwards, a panel of ten NIKE athletes, Bernard Lagat, Suzy Favor, Pascal Dobert, Nicole Teter, Regina Jacobs, Tim Montgomery, Sarah Schwald, Abdi Abdirahman, Bob Kennedy, and Alan Webb answered questions from the MC, John Capriotti. The floor was opened up to the 64 athletes, family and fans. One story that brought laughs from the crowd was Abdi's. Apparently, he did not begin to run until a sophomore in college. As he recalled, he was inspired after watching a bespectacled runner run in a race. He figured that he could do it so the next day he went to the coach at his college and asked if he could run on the team. The coach said yes, and Abdi, street clothes and all ran with the team. He ended up 2nd and the coach told him to come back the following day.
Tim Montgomery responded to one question regarding the need for more training groups. He said that he never had a training group growing up in South Carolina He dreamt of becoming a great athlete, but was never given the opportunity to compete at that level. He said that he just trained to become the best runner that he could be. He advised the audience to do the same. To train as hard as one can and become the best athlete possible regardless of circumstance.
Bernard Lagat never thought he could run 3:26 for 1500 meters, but after running 3:30, he thought it was possible. He also said that the runners he met in college were no longer running. He spoke of the talent there is in the US and the lack of aspirating to be better after college. He said that the US had the talent, but they needed to continue to strive to become better after all was said and done.
The session ended and the runners lined up for an autograph session with the panel. Some of the runners retired to their beds before the autograph session ended while others stayed to mingle and wait in line.
It was also announced that the wood chips were removed after concerns about athlete safety. That brought a sigh of relief.

The runners reflected on the course after doing their run throughs. Here's what they had to say.

Chris Solinsky

" It's tough, but it's not as tough as some courses I've run this year. The Great American, obviously by far the toughest course I've run. I would wager that the midwest meet and my state meet are probably a little bit harder. The courses have more hills on them that would kill you. This course has two that I can think of, that one which you repeat twice, and there's one over here on the first part of the course, it's not too bad, but it will take some guys out.
This is perfect. I'm excited about tomorrow and I hopefully it all comes together. The course is good. The weather is good, so we'll see what I can do.

Brian Sullivan

"I like it actually. It's really nice. The start seems really wide. I like how it goes. It starts out down hill a little bit so you can get out pretty fast without exerting too much energy. The hills in the back are nice too! They're not too bad. It will be tiring, but I think the race will be made back on those hills.
The finish is really good. Nice flat course to finish up on. It's just a straight shot. I really like it."

Bobby Curtis

" I think that hill is a little overrated. The course is in good shape. The wood chips and the mulch will slow us down a little bit, but other than that, the surface is hard and the hills are nothing to worry about so it should be an overall fast course."

Matt Debole

"I think it's a typical cross country course. It's got the turns and all different surface areas. It's got the challenging hill and two loops so it's spectator friendly. I think it's going to be nice. It's real easy to get around. Walking it was nice and running it was better. Hopefully, the racing is going to be awesome."
On the course suiting his style
" In North Carolina, we run a lot of different courses. We go from flat to extremely hilly. This is kind of right in the middle and I'm feeling good, so it should favor my style."

Steven Hassen

"I really like it a lot. It's a combination of McAlpine and Great American. There's parts where there's a huge, not too huge, uphill and also parts where you could really move fast. It should be good course. I think it's going to be a strength runners course and not a rhythm runner course. Guys who like to get into a rhythm might get hurt. You definitely don't want to go out too fast because you have to run the hill twice. It should be a lot of fun. I'm really excited about it."

Ryan Deak

" The course is good. It's rolling hills. The more people that go out fast, the more people that are going to come back since you have to run that hill right at the mile point. It's a good point. It's at the two mile point too so that hill is going to be a real factor in the race. The more energy they spend on the hill, the less energy that they'll have in the kick. Relaxing on the hill is going to be a major plus for people that do that. They'll have a better finish the last mile or half mile or whenever they decide to take off."
On Roommate, Chris Solinsky
" Being Chris Solinsky's roommate is quite funny. I open the door and there he is. It's just a good experience to see what he does before the race and his rituals and things.
On the stuff he got for the race and final comments
" Free shoes, spikes, trainers, warm-ups, socks... we got everything. It's quite a deal. It's going really well. Definitely, top ten, top eight. I definitely want to be there. The course lends itself to going out more conservative and picking up after the hill."

Nef Araia

"I'm excited about this course. The hills are positioned in a really great place so they'll string the crowd out. The beginning is pretty flat and downhill so it's going to go out pretty hard. I'm just excited to be in tomorrow's race and do well. I think it works to the strength runner's advantage."
On the midwest regional
Going into the regional qualifier, our goal was just to qualify. We didn't want any pressure of trying to make an upset or something like that. Chris, for a lot of people is the favorite, but in a group like this where everyone is so evenly matched and of the same caliber, it's going to be a great race. It's going to be more mental than physical.

Kevin Tschirhart

" I don't think that the course is as hard as everyone says it is. I've run harder hills in the northeast. I think the turns are kind of tough, but if I run the terrain, leaning into it on the down hills and working the up hills, I think I'll run good.
I think I trying to get more than just an experience. My goal is to be All-American. It' not just being here just to be here. I have a goal for this race. I'm not surprised that I'm here. I think I deserve it."

Andrew Jones

" It's a pretty good course. It was just good to go out and run it a couple of times and know what to expect. It should be a good race."
On coming down from altitude
"It's just a lot easier to breath down here. It's a matter of your legs holding out as opposed to not being able to breath. It's a lot easier to breath down here.
I'm not sure what to expect because everyone here, their times at regionals were so close so you don't know who's going to finish where. It's kid of hard to tell where you are going to end up."

Zoe Nelson

" I like it. I like the big hill. I think that's going to be helpful tomorrow. It's going to be a big part of the race.
The terrain is a little bit unsure. I'm not sure about that. It's hard to run on and get your footing, but other than that, I like it."
On hills
" They give me an advantage because I'm used to running them. I run them all the time. I just think that's where I get my advantage. That's why I like them. I feel really good. I think I'm ready."

Nicole Blood

" I like it. It's pretty nice. It's challenging, definitely because of the wood chips and everything and the hills, but it will be fun."
On her previous races
" I'm feeling a lot better. I'm feeling a lot stronger because then I was a little sick and now I'm better and ready to go. I've been out here before. It's really nice."

Ari Lambie

" The course looks good. A lot of gradual slopes and then that one good hill. It suits my style well. I'll be able to push the up that hill and ride the down hills."

On being sick

" It started at one o'clock last night. All of the sudden. I'm feeling a lot better now. I'll be able to loosen up a little this afternoon. I'll definitely race tomorrow.
I've always been very lucky when it comes to injuries and health. I've never had this problem. I'm very surprised, but it's something to deal with. It's a set back, but I'm hoping that I'll still be able to pull through.

Heidi Magill

" It's a lot like Great American three years ago. I think it might go by really slow. It's not too bad. I've had worse courses. I don't hate it, but it's not my favorite."
On what would be a good performance
" I want to get in the top fie, but I'd be happy with top eight. I don't know time wise. I've never been here and I've never been on this course so I don't know what to tell you."

Megan Kaltenbach

" I like it, it's fun. Good hills. Real cross country course. It's definitely better than Orlando. The temperature. It's not sideways on the golf course and like having just two big loops. It's more track like to me."
On past year's races and this year's race.
" I just think last year was just a bad year and the year before I was just a sophomore and it was first time coming here. So just being more experienced and feeling better. I think I'm in the best shape I've ever been in for cross country so we'll see. I have high expectations."

Katelyn Kaltenbach

" I like it a lot. I like the hills because I can get up the hills because I'm tiny and stuff and I don't have much. So I like the hills. It feels like it goes by really quick. When I was jogging it, I was at the mile before I even knew it. I like it a lot.
I think it's a good course for me because we run a lot of hills in Colorado and because of the altitude, we can recover a lot faster here."
On her experience so far
" It's really fun. It's cool because we get treated so well by everyone. It's a really good experience."
On soccer
"I've never been at this big of a deal for soccer. We go to tournaments, but we don't get treated like this at all. It's just like your team. You get into a van with your team so this is really cool."
On her sister
" It's really good because she's so experienced and I know her, you know. It's good to have someone that you are close with. She's already done this a lot so she can help me out and not waste so much energy doing some things so it's good to have her.
This is our last race together. It's sad. That's what we were thinking in Wisconsin. ' We just have to have one more race together.' So, hopefully, we'll make it our best."

Amber Harper

"It's very wood chippy. I don't know what shoes to wear or anything. It's fun. It's a lot of different terrain. Hills. It's fun."

Meghan Owen

" Compared to Florida, I like this course better. It's hillier and I think that will be an advantage for the northeast team.
On her past Footlocker experience
" Well, sophomore year was my first big national race so I didn't know what to expect. This year I'm used to the national competition so I can handle the pressure so I'm more prepared."
The course
" I like hillier courses. This has a good sized hill and we run that twice so I think that will be good for me. I just want to have fun with this because it's my last race in high school, but I'm hoping for top fifteen."

Katy Trotter

" Actually, I feel pretty comfortable with this course. It's relatively flat through the first mile which I like, of course. It's pretty much like the Van Cortland course with the exception of that one big hill. It's not too bad. I feel pretty comfortable with it."
Running without her sister
" That's definitely going to be a new experience, I'd say because every single time, I use her to pace off. We pace off each other. It's going to be awkward, but hopefully, things will go all right.
Race projection
" Honestly, I don't have a finish in mind. I'm just looking to have fun and see what happens. I don't want to put a number in my head. I'll just worry about it the whole time. No numbers. Just looking to have fun."

Nikki Bohnsack

" I think the course is hilly so I can use that to my advantage because we train for hills a lot. There's some good down hills so it will be good.
The mulch and . I think the bark is kind of hard to run on. It's going to be slippery."
On her injury
" I was injured earlier in the season and my stride is a lot better than it was, but my muscles on the left side of my body are all messed up from changing my stride from my injury. I'm still getting over that, but it feels a lot better today than it has all week."

On her national experience
" This is my second year here. I got thirteenth my freshman year and didn't make it. I came out my freshman year, just in case I made it my sophomore year so I wouldn't be so nervous. I still was nervous last year. I'm a lot more comfortable this year. Last year, everyone went out crazy. I can just settle back and know that I can move up later."

Rachel Bryan

" It's a pretty diverse course. A lot of different terrain which makes it challenging. Especially, the wood chips. They're not very stable. I think for people who haven't had a lot of experience on hills, this is going to be the killer for them. Even though the hills don't look too steep, they last a long time. They hit you a lot harder than you'd expect.
If someone can do Mt. Sac, they can do this course.
I'm getting tired. It's been a very long season."

Katie Harrington

" I love it. It's gorgeous. The weather is awesome. It's really diverse. Everything from smooth to wood. The hills are nice. They spice it up a little bit.

On the course favoring her style
" I think so. I think that it's really just a mental thing. If you believe that you can be tough on things, like the hills, and you don't let them freak you out. I think I'm a tough mental runner so it shouldn't be bad for me."

On the competition
" I've been to some national meets like Golden West and Adidas open, but nothing like this for cross country. I'm really excited to be running with such great girls and it will be a good learning experience. I hope I can come back next year and know what it's all about."

Elite Athlete Panel Discussion

Ten Nike athletes answered questions for an hour Friday evening, and then signed autographs until it was time for the runners to get some rest for the big races on Saturday.

Bernard Lagat (left) listens as Alan Webb talks about meeting Jim Ryun,
whose high school mile record he broke. "Nicest man you will ever meet," said Webb.

Foot Locker National Finals