NCAA DI XC Championships: Forecast Doesn’t Scare Contenders

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana — You can’t hide from Mother Nature on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. Try all you want, but she’s going to find you and make your life miserable no matter what.

With its wide-open design and rolling hills, the site of the 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships is susceptible to the elements every step of the way.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Those elements will be out in full force tomorrow as the forecast calls for sustained winds of 20 miles per hour (gusts up to 40) and 40-degree temperatures. Added together, the weather will feel at-or-below freezing for those at the course.

So rather than fight the conditions on Saturday, top competitors in the men’s and women’s championship races are going to try to embrace — and adapt — to them.

That might come easier to some, like women’s individual title favorite Erin Finn and women’s individual title contender Elinor Purrier, than others. Finn (Michigan) and Purrier (Vermont) are from areas of the country where climates are temperamental.

“The weather in Michigan can be really, really great or really, really bad within the span of four hours,” said Finn, a senior who is on a four-race win streak entering NCAAs. “We’re used to it all. The worse it is — the bad weather hurts everyone — but I think it hurts us a little less than it hurts other people. We’re not scared of it: We’re excited for it.”

Purrier, a junior from New Hampshire and the Northeast Region individual champion, echoed Finn’s sentiments.

“I’m also excited about the weather because I’m from northern Vermont and I’m really used to running in tough climate weather,” Purrier said. “I think it will be exciting because it will throw in a little extra fun to the run and it definitely makes a difference in who comes out on top.”

While Finn and Purrier eagerly anticipate the weather, count Stanford’s Sean McGorty among those simply accepting Mother Nature’s offering at face value.

“The weather is something we can’t control,” said McGorty, whose team hails from the pleasant clime of California. “All we can control is the effort we give and how we execute our plan, so that’s what we’ll focus on. If we can let the weather affect us as little as possible — whether it’s muddy as it has been in the past or windy — I think we’ll be okay.”

If that race plan falls apart, McGorty suggested Plan B.

“Well, (Patrick) Tiernan’s pretty tall, so I think if we can all tuck in behind him the entire race, I think that might work out,” McGorty deadpanned.