I sat down with men's cross country runner Ethan Shaw '12 to talk about his recent first-place finish in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship 10K run, his pre-race eating habits and the dirty side of cross country.
It has been a week since you won the Heps Championship. Has it fully sunk in yet?
ES: It has definitely sunk in by now. It was weird because I didn't know that I had won until 10 minutes after the race, so I didn't really celebrate as I might have otherwise. But now I am starting to think about Regionals and hopefully Nationals, and I'll be able to reflect a bit more after the season.
Quickly going back to the race: There was a huge snowstorm and the conditions were terrible. Columbia University senior Kyle Merber passed you with 200 meters left. What was going through your head?
ES: Well, Kyle is a great runner and a great kicker so I was pretty nervous when he passed me, but I tried to keep focused. About halfway down the last straightaway I noticed that he wasn't pulling away from me anymore. I was slowly able to reel him back in, and at the last second barely got in front.
There obviously isn't as much physical contact in cross country as in some other sports, but is there any secret trash talking that goes on during races?
ES: There's plenty of trash talk between teammates before races, but none during the race. There is more physical contact during the race than people might think. Some teams are more dirty than others, but no one is afraid to give a shove if someone is in their way.
Cross country is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports. Did you grow up running or did you at some point just realize you were good at it?
ES: It was a little of both. I grew up running as well as playing soccer and basketball, but by the time I had reached high school I had found more success in running than the other two sports, so I started to focus on it.
How are you planning to prepare for the rest of your season?
ES: I will be running at the NCAA Regional meet to hopefully help the team qualify for Nationals. We don't change much from week to week. We will run slightly fewer miles and work out with less intensity, but we won't do anything special.
I've heard that everyone who runs cross country has to be a little crazy or slightly masochistic. Is there any truth to that?
ES: It takes a certain kind of person to run cross country. Some of us are more crazy than others, but I wouldn't call any of us normal.
Do you have any weird pre-race rituals?
ES: I tend to eat really sh*tty food when a race is coming up. It isn't a ritual as much as I am trying to prove that it doesn't matter what you eat the day before a race.
Once cross country season is over, do you go right into track season or do you get a chance to take some time off?
ES: After the season I'll get about a week to check out some of our illustrious fraternity houses, but training for track starts right after. Thank you for reminding me.
Which do you like better track or cross country?
ES: I like cross country much more, partially because I'm better at it, but also because there is more of a team aspect. Everyone you are training with is doing the same event at the same time, which you don't get during the track season.
As I was researching for this article, I came across the picture on your Dartmouth Sports profile. Were you trying to channel famed American runner Steve Prefontaine with that mustache?
ES: No, my girlfriend likes it.