The weather forecast calls for snow, possible whiteouts, and temperatures dropping quickly as race day quickly approaches.

Temperature for race day?

Mid twenties with a real feel of single digits.

While our fellow brothers and sisters are knocking out their pre-race shakeouts and getting their outfits ready for the pre-race pasta dinner, the fans are prepping to hit the road. Drivers assigned, snacks packed, and plenty of energy ready to be unleashed upon Lansing. Or is it East Lansing? Let the GPS decide.

Face paint? We got you covered. Costumes? Oh, they had that ready for a while. The mascot? They're riding shotgun.

It's to witness history.

“A couple of teammates and I drove from CT to cheer on the Connecticut College men in their second nationals appearance and 1st since 2002 along with our two individual women who raced. Being selected was such a big moment for our program and has been something everyone on the team has been working towards for the past 4 years. After never really having all the pieces fall into place, we finally put it all together and made it to nationals.” - Will Bryant, Conn College

It's ingrained in the culture of the program.

“At WashU, it is a huge part of the team culture to cheer for nationals. We had over 100 track and cross country runners sign up to carpool up to Michigan and stay overnight at either hotels or people in the teams’ houses.” Riley Clark, WashU

It's because that's what teammates do.

“We’ve spent thousands of miles and hours together. We live, eat, travel, and study together, too. To NOT be there, supporting our folks in whatever way we can, would be a disservice to our racers, our coaching staff, and this family we’ve created.” - Valdis Slokenbergs, Johns Hopkins

The trip can be an adventure in itself. The Midwest can be unpredictable. And in November? Anything can happen.

“The experience was ROUGH, we drove through 5 waves of white out and had to wait for an hour and a half for emergency responders to get a car out of the ditch.” Lance Pfrimmer, UW-Stout.

After hundreds of miles and countless hours on the road, we've finally made it. Everyone is running on fumes. There's a nice bit of Michigan wind chill to greet us as we head toward the course. Lack of sleep has done nothing to calm the nerves.

IT'S RACE DAY

The entrance to the course disguises what's in store. As we walk through ticketing, we see teams warming up. A team that's been highly ranked all season. A team from your region. Another, Wait, where are they from?

The conditions are not ideal. Snow has covered Forest Akers East Golf Course except in sections where officials have tried clearing a path for the athletes to run. Despite the bitter cold, shirtless spectators are aplenty.

The D3 national championship is truly a meet unlike any other. There are no team camps; the athletes are either warming up or bundled in the heated athlete tents, keeping themselves warm until the last possible second before they need to head to the line. The hour leading up to the gun is filled with spectators from across the country making their presence known. Countless flags wave proudly through the crowd as schools from coast to coast prepare for the action. From California to Maine, and everywhere in between, it's all being represented here in Lansing.

While the athletes head on their final strides, the crowd is restless. Chants are springing up from everywhere, with each team seemingly taking it as a challenge to see who can be the loudest. 

It's chaos across both sides as gun time quickly approaches. Minutes turn to seconds and as the official calls for the start, a wave of silence engulfs the spectators. Everyone anxiously awaits the gun, peering their heads slightly over the line with hopes that they can have a glimpse of who they came to see. The gun fires and the silence breaks into a cacophony of cheers, chants, and screams, reaching a crescendo as the athletes come charging forward.

Within seconds of the final competitor passing by, a stampede of fans take off in a dead sprint. Those same hundreds that were shoulder to shoulder lining the course a second ago are now in a race of their own, running toward the next vantage point to see the competitors come by once more. Fans narrowly avoid getting run down by the gator tailing the field. The snow does little to slow the masses. Heck, even some mascots are easily blowing by people.

Despite the chaos between checkpoints, each person seems to find a spot on the course without much trouble. Cheers bellow out from all sides as teams continue to carry the energy in anticipation of what's to come. Tension fills the air as everyone nervously awaits to see where their athlete has positioned themselves after the opening stretch.

RUNNERS!

The cheers boom as the athletes come by again. The air is filled with a mix of names, chants, mottos, mantras... Anything that can catch the attention of that one or few in the masses focused on the task at hand. Maybe if they cheer loud enough that person might harness the energy from the crowd. The ground shakes, not from passing runners, but from the almost rhythmic stomps of the crowd. And once again, as the final runners pass, the crowd starts sprinting to the next spot, hoping to make it in time to catch the field for another second.

The course is filled with spectators racing from point to point to catch the athletes for another precious second. Those with experience racing themselves know just how important that support is in those crucial later stages. As the race progresses the cheers to the athletes become more specific. Gone is the generic “let's go,” replaced with reminders to focus on form, chase that next jersey, or to keep attacking and stay strong. The race is just kicking into high gear, and if you're dawdling, the crowd will definitely remind you to stay awake.

After racing back and forth, the crowd lines themselves over the final hundred meters leading to the finish. While the crowds have been loud and raucous up until this point, the final straight is calm and quiet. People all around are taking peeks at the live tracker preparing for what is sure to be a crazy finish. Anything can happen in the final kilometer. Team races will be made or broken here. All-Americans decided.

The leaders come charging down the stretch. There's enough separation to enjoy the moment. The crowd has come alive again as each champion soaks in the moment that they've worked so hard for.

“Here they come, your 2022 National Champion!”

And then comes the madness.

While there may have been some daylight between the first couple of finishers, the finishing straight quickly fills with athletes giving every last bit of energy their bodies can muster. The finishing straight features those finding second life upon seeing that finish line, trying to pass every single body they can while others hold on for dear life as their body's try to not falter over those final couple meters. Positions are being counted out loud; each passing finisher ticking that ever important number higher. That All-American designation goes just as fast as it comes.

35-36-37-38-39-40!

Meanwhile, those invested in the team battle count their runners in, keeping a close eye on their rivals. With such strong first runners across the board, whoever brings their 5th runner in first has the advantage.

Alright we have 3 in. That's 4 in. 5! 5! They're in!

The finish area is pure chaos. Bodies sprawled out across the snow. Teammates help each other stay on their feet. Bloody shins. Plenty of mud. And tears, tons of tears. Some nervously await their final finishers, while others feverishly try and calculate final scores. Teams and individuals stand with their eyes fixated on the scoreboard. As each page is refreshed with new finishers, hearts break for some while dreams stay alive for those lucky ones. Minutes seem like hours as everyone waits for the team results to populate. Teams are huddled together hopeful that the next refresh will have the result they've worked all season for.

Those final few minutes showcase a wild range of emotions. The joy of victory. The agony of defeat. While results continue to fully populate the air is full of chatter:

"I think they did it.”

“It's going to be close.”

At this point it's all speculation. Teammates console each other. A hard fought race has left them too exhausted to hold back any emotion.

Results flash. The atmosphere in that moment is filled with both excitement and disappointment. Immediately the victors break into chants. Teammates embrace, teary-eyed as they congratulate each other for fighting for the team, still in disbelief at how the day came together.

Others console each other, keeping spirits high despite visible disappointment. While the results may not have been what they had hoped, they can keep their heads up high knowing they fought the entire race.

“I think going to nationals and cheering on the team is a big thing for our teams culture, as being good teammates and making the long trip shows that at Lynchburg we value good character and putting others before ourselves.” Mangus Davidsen, Lynchburg

And regardless of the result, all who traveled far and wide to watch will wait with warm embraces, proud of everything their loved ones left on the course. Because win or lose, the people and the spirit of the sport are what bring us here. Hundreds of miles on the road and a couple hours in the freezing cold are a small price to pay for the experience.

“Making the 500 mile trip to East Lansing is important to us because it is reflective of the type of support we provide to the national competitors. It is well worth it on top of all the driving troubles and unlucky weather that comes with the memories we make along the way.” - Nels Trandahl, UW Stout

Whether you're there to cheer on an individual or a team, Cross Country nationals is different. The team camaraderie. The all-out chaos. There is not another meet. This is the meet. This is what everyone strives for. This is the celebration of everything they've worked for. It doesn't matter how long you've been in the sport. It doesn't matter how far you're out. This will make you fall in love with it all over again.

“My parents are both NCC alumni and met through XC. They’ve been going every year since they got married. And I’ve been going most of my life. I may not have been a student/athlete at NCC but I have always felt like I was a part of the family. Cheering at Nationals is special because it’s where everyone there is just as crazy about the sport that you love as you are.” - Kara McCleary

There's nothing like Cross Country.