(by Jacob McLeod)
Day 1 - Thursday, December 8th
My Footlocker Experience began with an early morning flight which arrived in San Diego at around noon Pacific Time. We were met at baggage claim by Footlocker Officials wearing the Footlocker referee uniforms who checked us in. After getting our bags and being checked in, we were transported from the airport to the Hotel Del Coronado. Upon our arrival we were greeted by some beautiful California weather. After checking in, we took some quick video shots with the Footlocker Officials in which we stated our name, class, and where we were from. I then met my roommate and met up with Coach Clanton to get in a last minute practice.
I took a run along the boardwalk near the beach, got in a few strides, and took in the moment of being in San Diego. The run down the boardwalk was a nice change of scenery from the trails I had been running all season. I took a quick shower before going to pick up my gear in the Coronet Room at about 4:00pm. We were greeted and congratulated by New Balance Officials, and then were told to collect our gear. We were presented with a New Balance XC Backpack containing our sweats (jacket and pants), four shirts, three pairs of running shorts, a pair of jogger-style sweatpants, and a pair of New Balance Fresh Foam running shoes. We were also given a custom shoe boxes that had our names on them and it read, "This is Your Chance to Never Be Forgotten." The shoe box included our uniforms and our custom spikes. The spikes were so detailed that they had the Balboa Park Course sketched in the insoles.
After picking up the shoebox and the bag, we visited numerous tables that had been set up with other miscellaneous gear which included the following: South bracelets, South name tags to put on our backpacks, a headband, socks, New Balance XC sunglasses, a New Balance running hat, a South water bottle, and a South cinch bag to put the stuff in. Along with all of this gear, I was also given four custom shirts that read "Go Jacob" to give to the spectators that would be attending the race. All of the New Balance gear wasn't only top of the line performance gear, but all of it was also personalized for Team South. Once we had collected our gear, we chatted with some New Balance Elite athletes including US Olympian in the 800m, Boris Berian. As we left the Coronet Room, our South chaperones/coaches gave us another shirt that they had made for the Team South Qualifiers. After collecting the gear, I hung out with the other Team South guys until dinner at 5:30pm. We had dinner in the Grand Hall Upper Ballroom followed by "make your own team shirts." We were all given blank New Balance shirts and were supplied with scissors, sharpies, and many different things to put on the shirts. Following dinner, the Team South guys took a short walk into Coronado to get smoothies. After getting smoothies, we came back to the Hotel Del Coronado and went to bed.
Day 2 - Friday, December 9th
Pre-race day was upon us! I woke up and went down to eat breakfast in the Coronet Room. Around 9:30 everyone got onto busses and were transported over to the Balboa Park course. We set our stuff down under our team tent and waited for our turn to practice our introductions for race day. While the girls were practicing their intros, the South guys talked to last year's champion and American indoor mile record-holder Drew Hunter. After the girls, we practiced our introductions and run out to the starting line. Once intros were finished, we were given even more gear before previewing the course. We were given another New Balance jacket that read "One of Forty" along with some other Eastbay stuff and discount cards. After collecting the gear, we jogged and studied the course that we were to run the next day.
Following the course preview, I did a few strides and examined the downhill portion of the course with Coach Clanton before being transported back to the Hotel Del Coronado. We attended a lunch in the Carousel Room upon our arrival back at our hotel, and then we all showered before the New Balance gear swap and open house. At the gear swap we were given the opportunity to trade in any clothes that didn't fit us. We also got the opportunity to check out some prototype New Balance shoes and pre-existing shoes in unreleased colors. The New Balance designers asked for our feedback on several spikes, shoes, and colors of shoes. Once we finished with the gear swap and New Balance open house, I hung out with my family and Coach Clanton, explored the parts of the Hotel Del Coronado I had not seen, and took a short walk into Coronado and back. That night we attended a pasta buffet where we loaded up on carbs for the race. A few speeches were given by Footlocker officials and some New Balance representatives, and then we were skyped by Olympians Emma Coburn and Jenny Simpson who gave us advice and encouragement. After dinner, we all went to bed early to get a good night's rest before the race.
Day 3-Saturday, December 10th
I woke up early and ate a small breakfast before leaving the hotel. We were transported over to the course at 7:30. When we arrived, we sat down underneath our tent before it was time to warm up for our race. When the time came, I warmed up and prepared for my race. Before the race we were introduced to the crowd and ran out on top of the stars that led us to our starting box. After everyone was introduced, we all lined up and were given the starting instructions. We took a few steps back from the line and were called up to the line. After a split second, the starter fired the gun and the race was off. I had a good start and got into the top half of the group. I maintained my position for the first loop of the race, gradually passing people as I went along. After the first lap of the course, I tried maintaining my pace and was able to pass other runners as they began to feel the effects of the punishing, Balboa course. I held onto my pace and had enough left to push myself into 15th, securing the last All-American spot and finishing 5th for Team South.
After the race I was met by my parents and Coach Clanton who were very enthusiastic about my performance. We were able to celebrate for a few moments before I began my cool down. After my cool down I learned that Team South had won the meet by 4 points. Overall, the meet was by far my favorite part of the experience. I enjoyed racing against such high caliber competition at such a historical event for the sport of cross country. After finishing the race and my cool down, we were transported back to the hotel and were given ice skating vouchers. Once we arrived at the hotel, all the qualifiers took a photo at the steps of the Hotel Del Coronado and ate a picnic-style lunch in the courtyard. After eating lunch, I took a quick shower and came back down to the courtyard to get a "make-your-own" ice cream sundae and to be interviewed. We took a quick survey about our experience and were interviewed by both DyeStat and MileSplit.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my family and Coach Clanton until the banquet at 7:00. At the banquet, we were served a three course meal and I was recognized as being an All-American and being a part of the team champions. While at the banquet our parents were given an engraved Tiffany picture frame to commemorate the event and being an All-American. The rest of the night I was able to hang out with the Team South guys and enjoy my last night at Coronado.
Overview:
My Footlocker experience was definitely one of the highlights of my entire running career up till this point. The Footlocker Officials did all that they could to make our experience the best that it could be, as they treated us like elite athletes. New Balance was especially generous and spared no expense. We were provided with the best of the best from the hotel that we stayed in, to the gear that we were given. Another thing that I learned from my Footlocker experience is that cross country runners cannot be compared by time when they are competing on different courses all season. Although my time was definitely not a PR, this was by far the best race of my running career. Many of the runners in this field had run in the mid 14's during the regular season. My race at Balboa really put this concept into perspective for me. I was very honored and humbled to be a part of such an honored tradition. My time in California was an experience I will never forget!
