M. X-C prepares to face judgment at Heps

Judgment Day. The questions get answered today. For the Penn men's cross country team, this afternoon is the beginning of the end. With two races remaining, everything the Quakers trained for will be tested at the 10K Heptagonal Championships in New York City's Van Cortlandt Park this afternoon. Every ounce of sweat lost, every shortness of breath heaved, every question of will is to be answered. "We've been pointing towards this for a while, so we will see how we prepare for our exams," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. Unlike the Heps in recent years, this weekend's race is open to any willing competitor. There is not one obvious favorite. Instead, there are five contenders. "This (race) could be really unique," Powell said. "There is no clear-cut leader. Brown and Princeton seem to be very strong contenders, with Penn, Navy and a young Dartmouth team nipping at their heels." Harvard, Yale and Cornell will also compete, but they are not expected to win. The Quakers will try to erase their last race, a subpar performance against Princeton at the IC4As, which were held on the same Bronx course on October 17. This weekend should prove to be different from last, however. The Quakers have a full and healthy arsenal of runners for the first time since September 20 at the Wolf & Kettle Invitational in Chicago. The Quakers hope to mimic that performance this weekend, when they finished first among a pool of 16 teams. After some fine-tuning and a week of rest from racing, the Quakers know what they need to accomplish. "We need to get up front with an early lead and stay there," Penn sophomore Scott Clayton said. "At the IC4As, we let Princeton get off early, and as a consequence, we let up when they got out of our sights." The Quakers are beginning to show some excitement, in addition to their anxiety for the upcoming race, although they realize they cannot dwell upon their emotions. "I'm excited for the first time in a couple of years," Powell said. "A lot of the guys don't want to talk about [the race], because if you get too excited, you lose the juice and adrenaline." For the past two weeks, the Quakers have reduced their mileage by 10 percent, in order to compensate for an increase in higher intensity runs and mental training. This lighter training load is designed to heal some of the wounds of overuse of their muscles and minds, in order that they will "run their best race of the year," according to Powell. The Quakers departed for New York Wednesday night in order to avoid any unnecessary distractions. Today's Heptagonals is the day that every runner competing either loves or loathes. Some will question their abilities, as they push their legs and lungs to the point of failure. But don't talk to Penn about luck. "There are no superstitions other than good preparation," Clayton said.

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