University of Richmond Athletics
Inside the Loop with Conor Phelan
09/13/2011 | Cross Country
Sept. 13, 2011
Where do I even start? This past week has been filled with so much excitement that I need to take a moment to gather my thoughts. Well, first there were the torrential rainstorms, then Billy (Fayette) and Ryan (Lee) left for Albania and finally... Oh yes, the President of the United States stopped by the University.
Practice got off to a rough start this week with it essentially raining nonstop for three straight days. We had to keep holding off on our main workout for the week. Initially, we had planned to run it on Monday but ended up having to wait until Thursday because of all the rain! When Thursday finally came, we had the pleasure of doing our team workout in a park called Pony Pasture. I never quite understood where the "Pasture" came from (much less the "Pony" part), but regardless, the park is a wonderful wooded plot of land that borders the James River.
During warm summer and fall days, people from all across the area frequent the park. It's a great place to explore and relax on the rocky outcroppings scattered throughout the rushing river rapids. We were not there to relax, however, and instead took advantage of the 2,000-meter trail loop to hammer a hard workout. The team looked strong, as sophomore Patrick Love and juniors Kyle Ragan and Jason Skipper all had outstanding workouts while fighting through the mud and deep puddles to run some very quick splits.
The team topped off our week with a trip to Pocahontas Park, which is located about 20 minutes south of campus. Pocahontas Park covers a sweeping 7,950 acres with two lakes measuring 24 and 150 acres in size in addition to miles upon miles of both wide dirt road access roads and twisting, technical single track. The team took advantage of a beautiful morning at the park to get in long runs. Surprisingly, this is the first year I have known that no one (not even a freshman) has ended up going for a three-hour jaunt through the never-ending woods after having made a single wrong turn!
I was really pleased to hear the results from the World Mountain Running Championship in Tirana, Albania. For those who did not know, Spider sophomore Ryan Lee and freshmen Billy Fayette and Clare Moretz joined the USA Junior Men's/Women's World Mountain Running Team. Competing against men and women from across the globe, all three athletes represented our campus and nation amazingly with their performances. Ryan placed exceptionally well in 11th place and was followed closely behind by Billy, who cruised to a 28th-place finish. Clare had a strong run as well, placing 30th in the junior women's race.
Also of note, American runners Max King and Kasie Enman each won gold medals in the senior men's/women's races. Especially on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, their success makes us all the more proud to have them representing our nation. Congratulations Ryan, Billy, Clare, Max and Kasie.
Perhaps the most exciting moment for me personally came when the President Barack Obama visited campus this week to give a speech on his new American Jobs Act. Regardless of one's political affiliation or feelings about our current president, it was an unbelievable speech and chance to actually see our nation's leader in person.
Roommate and teammate Chris York and I took the opportunity to see the President to the next level. The line to get into the Robins Center (where he gave his speech) was more than ¾ of a mile long (yes, I did use Gmaps-pedometer). Chris, Alex Hahn (my other roommate), my girlfriend Sarah Thomas and I were rather close to the end. So, needless to say, we didn't get the best seats in the house. However, minutes before Obama came out, we saw a fellow student we knew who was volunteering for the event. He ushered us down to the standing section right in front of the stage, and from there we had a clear view of the President less than 50 feet away.
After the speech, he was shaking hands and Chris and I found ourselves fairly close to the edge of the crowd. As Obama passed Chris and I stuck out our hands and I shouted, "Mr. President, Can I get a pound?!?". Sure enough, Mr. Obama smiled and chuckled and then gave Chris and I two really solid fist bumps.
This was definitely the highlight of my week. In the picture you can see my fist and Chris' fist on either side of Obama's hand (mine on the left side, Chris' on the right) in the center of the photo. This was just moments before we got a fist bump from the President.
Enjoy your week, and I look forward to updating you all on the life of a Richmond Cross Country runner next week!
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