Galen Rupp of the University of Oregon and Jenny Barringer of the University of Colorado were awarded the inaugural Bowerman Awards at the 2009 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USATFCCCA) annual meeting. The award was developed to highlight the most outstanding collegiate track and field athlete of the year.

Galen Rupp running at the world championships. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Oregon’s Rupp had an stellar year including double individual victories at the NCAA championships indoors (3000m and 5000m) and outdoors (5000m and 10,000m). During the indoor campaign he set a new American and collegiate record in the 5000m, running 13:18.12 at the Tyson Invitational. Rupp anchored the winning distance medley relay team at the NCAA indoor championships, solidifying three national titles at the meet and leading the Ducks to the team title. Outside of the collegiate arena, Rupp placed a respectable 8th at the world championships over 10,000m in Berlin.

Jenny Barringer running at the world championships. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Barringer set a total of six collegiate records in 2009 including three indoors (1-mile, 3000m, 5000m) and three outdoors (1500m, 3000m-steeplechase, 5000m). The Lady Buffalo’s athlete of the year won NCAA championships at 3000m indoors and 3000m-steeplechase outdoors. In addition to her collegiate exploits Barringer placed fifth at the world championships in the 3000m-steeplechase and became the third American woman to break 4:00 in the 1500m, clocking a 3:59.90 at the Prefontaine Classic this spring.

For more information on the Bowerman Award visit the USTFCCCA website: www.ustfccca.org.

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Jenny Barringer leading the NCAA Championships. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Many observers think Jenny Barringer’s mind failed her in Monday’s NCAA Cross Country Championship. Actually, it was her brain.

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

In his 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships preview, my colleague Sean McKeon wrote, “Why don’t we just give Jenny Barringer the trophy, spare the field the embarrassment and let the other women race for the lesser positions? All right, that may be an exaggeration, but in my mind it’s not a matter of if the Colorado senior is going to win, it’s by how much… If she doesn’t win it will be the biggest upset in NCAA history, bar none.”

Barringer finished 163^rd in Monday’s race in Terre Haute, Ind. In his preview, McKeon intimated that only an “epic collapse” by Barringer would open the door for another woman to win, and an epic collapse is exactly what we saw.

As expected, Barringer, the 3000m steeplechase American record holder and a 2008 Olympian in that event, made her way to the front of the field quickly after the starting gun fired. Also not surprisingly, Florida State’s Susan Kuijken marked her closely. Roughly half a mile into the 6K race, the two women began to separate themselves from the rest, and thereafter their margin steadily expanded.

Barringer seemed determined to shake Kuijken, knowing that the latter is a middle-distance specialist with a fierce kick, but she held on gamely. Then, not long after they had passed the two-mile mark, Barringer suddenly pulled up as though she had just been shot by a sniper. She staggered a bit and then fell into a slow jogging rhythm as Kuijken raced away ahead of her.

Before long Barringer was being passed by dozens of other runners. Eventually she slowed to a walk that lasted all of three paces before she collapsed to the ground in a heap. Just as abruptly, however, she rose and resumed running. Bizarrely, she looked totally fine as she ran the closing stretch in stride with the inferior runners surrounding her.

Most observers were totally mystified by Barringer’s performance. Others were all too quick to pronounce that she had simply choked. To understand what really happened to Barringer, you must first understand a little about how the brain functions during intense running.

Traditionally, the body’s performance limits have been defined strictly in terms of physiological limits within the muscles themselves or within other systems such as the cardiovascular system. But within the past 15 years or so, sports scientists have learned that exercise performance is really governed by the brain.  When fatigue occurs, it is not because the muscles or cardiovascular system has run up against a hard functional limit.  Instead, it is because the brain has essentially voluntarily shut down the muscles before they hit a limit in order to prevent the body from suffering serious harm.

In stressful exercise events such as running races, the brain must balance the desire to complete the task as fast as possible with the need to protect the body from overexertion. In other words, it must pace the runner, and it manages this job through a mechanism that South African exercise physiologist Ross Tucker has labeled “anticipatory regulation.”

Here’s how anticipatory regulation works: Continuously throughout running races the brain subconsciously calculates the fastest pace that the runner can sustain over the remaining distance without causing serious self-harm and enforces its conclusion by controlling the amount of muscle activation it allows and by producing feelings of comfort and discomfort. The inputs for these calculations are explicit knowledge of the endpoint (that is, the finish line), feedback signals received from the body that tell the brain how the body is doing, and past training and racing experience, which gives the runner a good sense of how hard running should feel at any given point.

Every runner knows that racing is hard, but few ever think about why it entails such intense suffering. The brain produces these feelings to enforce sensible pacing. Suffering is not some disembodied epiphenomenon of intense exercise without practical utility; it is instead the key regulator of pacing and the primary cause of fatigue. Research has shown that there is no single physiological predictor of fatigue: blood lactate levels, muscle glycogen levels, heart rates, muscle pH levels, and so forth are all over the place at the point of exhaustion in different runners and even within the same runner in different situations. But in trained runners, the level of suffering almost always rises linearly throughout races and reaches the maximal tolerable level at the end of the race—or somewhat before the end in cases of bad pacing.

It’s not quite that simple, however. First, the maximal tolerable limit of suffering is variable, and can increase or decrease a bit from race to race depending on the runner’s level of motivation and other factors. Also, research by Carl Foster at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse has shown that the degree of suffering an athlete experiences at any given moment is a function of how he actually feels in relation to how he expected to feel. Hence, when you are halfway through a race and find yourself feeling a little better than expected, this very fact will make you feel even better. But the inverse is also true—and this brings us back to Jenny Barringer.

Sean McKeon is not the only person who predicted that Barringer would win the national cross-country championship easily. Everyone said it. And Barringer heard everyone saying it and undoubtedly started to believe it. So she very likely went into the race anticipating that she would not have to suffer quite as much as she had to win previous races in her career. This expectation set her up for disaster.

I am certain that Barringer was physically capable of winning the race. She just wasn’t capable of winning it easily. When she got a couple of kilometers into it, pressing the pace hard and unable to shake Susan Kuijkan, she discovered that she was suffering more than expected, and this made her feel worse—so much worse that her brain protectively shut down her muscles, causing the epic collapse that we all witnessed.

Barringer’s comments after the race are perfectly consistent with this explanation. “I definitely remember … all of a sudden going lightheaded and thinking, ‘I don’t know how to run anymore,’” she said. “I just lost my head and didn’t feel good.”

If Barringer had simply gone into the race expecting it to be extremely painful, and expecting her victory to come with great difficulty, she would have won. As her rebound at the end of the race demonstrated, there was nothing physically wrong with her. Yet her meltdown was not “all mental,” either. The subconscious brain is in the driver’s seat during races. When it decides to make you bonk, you bonk. A runner can no more overcome fatigue caused by the subconscious brain through “mind over matter” than a person could jump off a building a fly by overcoming gravity through mind over matter.

In my own career as a runner and triathlete I have set myself up for disaster many times in the same way Barringer did, although thankfully not on such a prominent stage. While I am ready to suffer as much as necessary whenever necessary, I occasionally make the mistake of expecting a certain performance to come more easily than is realistic. Once immersed in it I discover that it’s harder than expected, which makes it even harder and ensures that I have a very bad workout or race.

I’m sure you have had such experiences too. Now you know why. Let Jenny Barringer’s failure be a cautionary example to you: If a given run is probably going to really hurt, expect it to really hurt!

Sam Chelanga wins the NCAA Championship in course record time. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Huge surprises occurred in the men’s women’s team races and in the women’s individual race.

Written by: Sean McKeon

It was a picture-perfect day Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. for the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships. What was not so perfect was the picture painted by race previews, my own included, as to how the races would play out. Each race saw its fair share of unanticipated drama, along with fantastic competition, proving the wisdom of the old adage, “That’s why they run the races”.

The men’s race was all about the dominance of Liberty’s Sam Chelanga. Chelanga was expecting a long battle with Stanford’s Chris Derrick, but instead had only the course record to challenge him. Although he held back over the first 1k, Chelanga quickly established a lead that grew by the second. The young Kenyan held a sizeable advantage over Derrick, Northern Arizona’s David McNeil and Barnabas Kirui of Mississippi through 5k, passing the mark in 14:09, and leading by nearly 30 seconds. Chelanga continued to pull away from the field and cruised to the victory in a new course record time of 28:41. It was sweet for Chelanga, as he shattered by 22 seconds the mark set last year by Galen Rupp, when Chelanga settled for second. McNeil was able to hold off Derrick and nab an impressive second place with Derrick taking the final podium spot in third.

In the team battle, the story line was supposed to be Stanford versus Oklahoma State, but that was not what the day delivered. Oklahoma State ran a dominating race, placing three in the top 15 and running away with the championship. Stanford seemed to simply fold under the pressure, leaving the podium spots open for some slight surprises. The Oregon men ran an impressive race to take the runner-up trophy, having been led by Sophomore Luke Puskedra’s 21st-place finish. Rounding out the podium was Alabama, led by Tyson David in 22nd place. Stanford, after coming into the meet the strong favorites, finished an astounding 227 points behind Oklahoma State, in 10th place.

Angela Bizzarri kicking to her NCAA title. Photo: PhotoRun.net

The women’s race was set to be the defining collegiate moment for 2008 Olympian Jenny Barringer of Colorado, but a complete collapse, both literally and figuratively, would leave her without a collegiate cross country title on her resume. Barringer set the strong early pace, passing 1k in just over 3:00, but trailed closely by Florida State’s Susan Kuijken. Just after 2k Barringer visibly dropped her shoulders, looking as though she had been punched in the gut, and immediately fell back from Kuijken. Later, cameras caught Barringer falling to the ground, looking as though she may not finish. But just as suddenly she sprang back and finished the race with the surrounding women, finishing in a devastating XX place.

Kuijken held a strong lead through 4k but began to fade due to the early pace set by Barringer. She found herself with Angela Bizzarri of Illinois and Kendra Schaff of Washinton to fight for the national title in the closing kilometer. Kuijken hoped to avenge her runner-up placing from 2008, but a fantastic final 400m by Bizzarri helped the Illinois senior earn her first NCAA cross country title. Kuijken had little remaining in the final stretch and found herself crossing the line in third, as the sophomore Schaff took the runner-up title.

As for what happened to Barringer, it is hard to say. It was a very bizarre sight to say the least. In a post-race interview Barringer said, “I didn’t feel so good about halfway in to it and every time I tried to push it I had to stop.” She still seemed disoriented after the race and it only leaves us to wonder what could have been.

On the team side it was the Villanova Wildcats that took home the national championship, upending the defending champion, and #1 ranked, Washington Huskies. The Wildcats were led by 6th-place finisher Amanda Marino and 13th-place finisher Sheila Reid. Florida Sate snuck in for the runner-up position, led by Kuijken’s third-place effort. The Huskies settled for a disappointing third-place finish, after coming into the meet the overwhelming favorites. Although Schaff ran well to finish second the always consistent Huskies had an off day, much like the Cardinal men, leaving them with plenty of questions to be answered.

Written by: Sean McKeon

Teams have been training since June to be ready for the long-awaited NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships that will take place in Terre Haute, Ind. on Monday, November 23. After months of preperations it comes down to 6,000m for the women and 10,000m for the men, to prove who is the best collegiate runner and which is the best team in the nation. Story lines are abundant on both sides; here we give you the breakdown of the top storylines to look for when you, surely, tune in to watch the race live on Versus:

Men’s Individual Championship

The men’s individual race promises to be a two-man showdown. Chris Derrick of Stanford is the only undefeated runner in the nation, and for that reason I say he is the favorite. Coming in a close second for race favorite status is last year’s runner-up, Sam Chelanga of Liberty. Chelanga lost to Derrick at pre-nationals in an epic collapse, after gapping the young Cardinal by a significant margin in the first half of the race. Chelanga has a few things on his side: he is the NCAA 10,000m record holder, he has been in this position before, and he is not bearing the pressure of being the favorite to win. Although he did choke at pre-nationals, Chelanga has the best resume heading into Monday and cannot be counted out.

A slew of  dark horses will challenge these two from behind. While I expect Chelanga to take the race out very hard, Derrick will need to shake off these others if he wants a solo shot at taking Chelanga down later in the race. Leading my list is Aussie David McNeil of Northern Arizona. McNeil is experienced and took 2008 NCAA champion Galen Rupp to the line this spring in the 5000m at the NCAA outdoor championships. McNeil had a poor early season due to an elongated track campaign, but looks ready to roll in Indiana. Derrick’s teammates Elliot Heath and Justin Marpole-Bird were a strong 2-3 at the West regional, overtaking top contenders like Brandon Bethke of Arizona State and Luke Puskedra of Oregon. With the team title their main objective expect all of the Cardinals to run inspired.

There’s an exciting wild card in German Fernandez of Oklahoma State. The 2009 NCAA 1500m champion suffered setbacks this summer but looks like he is ready for a big race. Fernandez could be top-5 or top-25, but don’t discount the current American junior 5000m record holder.

Competitor.com says: 1. Chelanga, 2. Derrick, 3. McNeil, 4. Fernandez, 5. Heath

Men’s Team Championship

As with the individual race, expect a two-team battle for supremacy in the men’s team competition. The contenders are overwhelming favorite Stanford and unpredictable Oklahoma State. Stanford has not lost a meet the entire year, a legitimate shot at an individual title, and five runners that with top-20 potential. There is a reason they are the favorites: they haven’t had a bad race yet.

Oklahoma State cannot say the same, but not for lack of trying. The main reason the Cowboys can’t be considered the favorite is the health of one Sophomore stud named German Fernandez. A pre-season individual title favorite was hit with the injury bug over the summer, but looks like he could be finally getting his legs back. Teammates John Kosgei, 8th in 2008, Ryan Vail and Colby Lowe are all top-15-caliber runners. If the Cowboys want to upset the Cardinal they will need Fernandez and his troops to land three men in the top 10 and another two inside the top 20, otherwise forget about it.

The battle for the other podium spot is likely a three-way matchup among defending champion Oregon, Alabama, and Portland. The Ducks return Luke Puskedra, 5th in 2008, but have looked weak, getting beaten by Portland in the West regional. The Piolts from the northside of the state are led by Alfred Kipchumba, who looks poised for a top-15 finish. Alabama is the wild card with an all-African top-5. They don’t have a strong #1 but will group up and possibly have the most impressive 1-5 split of the day. If they can bunch up well in the top 35 or so, they may nab a podium spot. If it is relatively cold and/or windy, discount Alabama and look to a team from Oregon to take the final podium spot.

Competitor.com says: 1. Oklahoma State, 2. Stanford, 3. Portland, 4. Alabama, 5. Oregon

Women’s Individual Championship

Why don’t we just give Jenny Barringer the trophy, spare the field the embarrassment and let the other women race for the lesser positions? All right, that may be an exaggeration, but in my mind it’s not a matter of if the Colorado senior is going to win, it’s by how much. Last spring, Barringer, who has already graduated, decided to hold off on a six-digit contract and finally win an individual cross country title for the Buffaloes. If she doesn’t win it will be the biggest upset in NCAA history, bar none.

If there were to be some type of epic collapse there is a very small group of women who could take the title. This group is led by 2008 runner-up and 2009 NCAA 1500m champion Susan Kuijken of Florida State. The Dutch superstar is the only woman with comparable stats to Barringer over the 800-1500m disciplines, but lacks the stamina over the longer distances. Kuijken’s only hope is that Barringer goes for a course record and misjudges the effort early on. If Barringer is in distress over the final mile, expect Kuijken’s speed to be the determining factor in her hunt for a national title.

As for the other top women, Villanova’s Sheila Reid has the distinct honor of being the other runner, besides Barringer, to be undefeated on the season. She will need to fight off a contingent of top women from the west region, including Washington’s Kendra Schaff and Christine Babcock and Oregon’s Jordan Hasay and Nicole Blood. Illinois’ Angela Bizzarri, 2009 NCAA 5000m champion, and Penn State’s steeplechase specialist Bridget Franek will certainly be factors in the chase pack.

Competitor.com says: 1. Jenny Barringer, 2. Susan Kuijken, 3. Jordan Hasay, 4. Angela Bizzarri, 5. Kendra Schaff

Women’s Team Championship

The defending champion Washington Huskies appear primed to repeat after another solid season. Led by Kedra Schaff, Christine Babcock and Mel Laurence, all top-25 from 2008, the Huskies are deserving of their #1 national ranking. They are undefeated and look as strong as in 2008, when they won the national title. Who will contend with the Huskies? Many fans may look to northwest rival Oregon as the top challenger, but a surprise out of the east will likely land itself next to Washington on the podium.

At the beginning of the season the Villanova Wildcats were ranked #5 in the nation, along with four other mid-atlantic teams. In what is probably the most competitive region, next to the west, the Wildcats proved their mettle throughout the season andcome to Terre Haute ready to dethrone the defending champions. Led by standout Sheila Reid and Amanda Marino, Villanova is poised for a big day. Reid has had a breakout season and Marino was a highly respectable 27th in 2008. If they can squeeze two women into the top 10 and three in the top 20 they will have a shot at the upset.

Let us not forget about Oregon. The 2008 runners-up return virtually everyone, and add a new #1 in Jordan Hasay. The one thing the Ducks have going for them is their front runners, Hasay, Nicole Blood and Alex Kosinski. They will need top-15 performances from these women if they want to finish in the top two again. If the Ducks are to falter look for Liz Costello’s Princeton Tigers or Jenny Barringer’s Colorado Buffaloes to take a run at the podium. The #6 ranked Buffs are the dark horse in the team race and cannot be overlooked. Coach Wetmore is a wizard when it comes to the national championship and with a virtual guaranteed single-point effort from Barringer, they will be well on their way toward an upset.

The American junior record holder over 5,000m, Derrick won the men’s title in 30 minutes 38.84 seconds to remain undefeated on the season. Derrick’s win led the Stanford men’s sweep of the top three places and helped his team to win the West Regional team title.

Now in its eighth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

Winners: January 6, Mason Finley; January 13, Amber Campbell; January 20, Josh Cox; January 27, German Fernandez; February 3, Ashton Eaton; February 10, Shalane Flanagan; February 17, Galen Rupp; February 24, Dexter Faulk; March 3, Terrence Trammell; March 10, Diana Pickler; March 17, Galen Rupp; March 24, Sumi Onodera-Leonard; March 31, German Fernandez; April 7, Cyrus Hostetler; April 14, Curtis Beach; April 21, Kara Goucher; April 28, Mason Finley; May 5, Chris Derrick; May 12, Natalie Willer; May 19, Will Claye; May 26, Nadine O’Connor; June 2, Tyson Gay; June 9, Dwight Phillips; June 16, Galen Rupp; June 23, Kami Semick; June 30, Dawn Harper; July 7, Raevyn Rogers; July 14, Ryan Crouser; July 28, Anton Krupicka; August 11, Rita Hanscom; August 19, Christian Cantwell; August 26, Trey Hardee; September 1, Dathan Ritzenhein; September 9, Sanya Richards; September 15, Carmelita Jeter; September 23, Tyson Gay; Jamie Donaldson; October 7, Meb Keflezighi; October 14, Dathan Ritzenhein; October 21, Amy Palmiero-Winters; October 27, Sean Quigley; November 3 Meb Keflezighi; November 11, Max King; November 18, Chris Derrick.

The eyes of running fans turned to the NCAA cross country regional championships that took place across the country Saturday and were treated to some wild action. There were plenty of surprises as teams finally raced at full strength and the puzzle pieces fell into place to set up the field for the national championship to take place November 23rd in Terre Haute, Ind.

Here are the top highlights from the regional championship festivities:

• West Regional Domination: #1 Stanford men proved they are the class of the NCAA this year, as they made a mockery of the other teams in their region. The Cardinal went 1-3, led by Chris Derrick, and placed five runners in the top 12. #7 Portland made a big statement as they outdistanced #3 Oregon by 25 points to take second place. On the women’s side, #1 Washington took the title, and in an equally dominating display, winning by 41 points over #5 Oregon. The Lady Ducks took the coveted second qualifying position, and were led by Freshman sensation Jordan Hasay, who placed a close second to the Huskies’ Kendra Schaff.
• Oklahoma State Arrives: If Oklahoma State proved anything, it is that they are amazing at pack running. The #2 Cowboys didn’t place their first runner until 9th but went 9-14, and 16 to boot, to easily capture the Midwest regional title. The split between one and seven was a mere 4 seconds – not too shabby. What can the Cowpokes do when they run full throttle? Let’s put it this way: Stanford shouldn’t make space on their trophy shelf quite yet.
• Chelanga Dominates: No suprise here, but Liberty’s Sam Chelanga is a favorite for the individual title. Chelanga won the southeast regional by an impressive 30 seconds and looks primed to contend for the national title. He finished second last year, to Oregon’s Galen Rupp, in an exciting sprint finish.
• Barringer Finally Wins: After a four-year wait, Colorado’s Jenny Barringer took home a regional title. To make things a little sweeter, she also led the Lady Buff’s to the team title. Barringer only won by 12 seconds, but don’t expect her to be that close to anyone in Terre Haute. She clearly held back and is preparing for something very special at the national championships.
• Aussie McNeil Ready: Think the men’s national championship will be a two-horse race between Sam Chelanga and Chris Derrick? Think again, as Northern Arizona’s David McNeil  took the mountain regional title with an impressive and promising performance. McNeil took Galen Rupp to the line in the 5000m at the 2009 NCAA outdoor championships, beating Chris Derrick in the process. Don’t count this Aussie out in Terre Haute; he is ready to roll. His #4 Lumberjacks didn’t fare quite as well, finishing a disappointing fourth in the team battle.
• Great Lakes Surprises: The Great Lakes region saw some big surprises, and crumbles, as #10 Wisconsin men, not so surprisingly, took the team title and unranked Michigan Sate took the runner-up spot. The Spartans didn’t even get a vote in the latest national poll and upset the likes of #26 Butler and #28 Ohio State. Butler finished a distant 5th, likely keeping them from an at-large bid. On the women’s side, 11 points separated the top four places. Unranked Notre Dame and Ohio State took the automatic qualifying spots, leaving #23 Michigan with their fingers crossed for an at-large bid. #26 Michigan State finished a disappointing 5th, behind three unranked teams.

For a full list of qualified teams click here: 2009 NCAA Division One Cross Country Qualifiers