This past Saturday, the Grinnell College men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Les Duke Invitational, an annual race which takes place at the Grinnell College Golf Course.
“I feel like the atmosphere was very positive. And there were lots of people cheering for you as you were running, which is motivational and helps you keep running,” said Genevieve Madigan `28, who placed 11th overall with a time of 24:23.8 minutes and was the highest placing Grinnell College first-year student in the meet.
In addition to the turnout from Grinnell students, faculty and staff who came to cheer on the athletes, many alumni came to participate in the race.
“It was really cool for me to meet them, just to see how much they like the team after being on it for four years,” said Jason Newman `28.
Several alumni ran the course at the Duke, which features a 6K race for women and an 8K race for men. One pair of alumni, Mark Krysan `24 and Andrew Nickeson `24, stayed side-by-side throughout the race and decided to finish hand-in-hand.
“He [Nickeson] was my rock throughout the race,” said Krysan.
Examples of sportsmanship and encouragement were a constant throughout the morning of racing. As runners reached the finish line, many high-fived and spoke excitedly to one another. After the women’s 6k, which was the first event of the morning, the athletes stayed to cheer on their teammates in the men’s 8K. They ran from point to point along the hilly route to cheer for as many Grinnell runners as they could.
For first years on the team, Sarah Burnell `14, head coach, said these were likely their first 6K and 8K races.
Newman, a first year, said, “Most first years notoriously go out too fast and then sputter out.”
Burnell expanded on this, finding a difference between first-year men and women and how they deal with the change in distances from high school to college. “It takes much longer for men to figure out the 8k,” she said. “Really, they don’t figure it out even in their first year. It usually takes till their second year. … The women, I think the 6K is always a little bit alarming … by the time they notice it’s long[er], they only have a tiny bit left, so it’s a much easier transition for them.”
In terms of goals for the season, Madigan said, “I want to adjust to running in college and running 6k. I think I need to run 6K a few more times to fully adjust to the change in distance.”
Additionally, John Miller `26, who placed second in the men’s 8K with a time of 26:03.7, noted that his goals involve performing well for the team.
“Whether that’s first place or 100th place, just trying to put my best foot forward for the team,” said Miller.
This team-first outlook was evident not only at the Duke, but also in the team’s culture.
“I think running is a great sport for getting to know people,” said Madigan. “As you’re running on your long run or during your workouts, you can talk to people. And part of the sport is talking.”
