On your mark...and the crack of the gun commences the pounding feet of over three hundred runners, and the roar of the crowd. Despite the unseasonable chill of this late September Saturday, there was a warm and competitive mood in the air at the Les Bolstad Golf Course as thousands of spectators cheered on over 3,000 athletes at the 2003 Roy Griak Invitational.

The 18th annual running of the Griak consisted of seven races with over 242 teams from all collegiate divisions and high school. The size of the meet defines the uniqueness to any spectator, but for the athletes involved, it's much more.

For the Minnesota women's cross country team, the Griak doesn't just represent high profile competition, but it stands for pride, togetherness, and hopefulness. The excitement of the meet brings the Gopher women together as they all prepare for one common goal; to have nothing left once they cross the finish line in their home territory.

There is an overwhelming feeling you get as you walk in the gates, and step foot upon your home course, witnessing sites of maroon and gold flags, and the giant Goldy Gopher mascot, reminding you of your inner desire to showcase your school, and the performance expected of one who proudly wears the "M." You feel as if the day is yours, and in that moment, you and the rest of your teammates are unstoppable.

As the start time nears, adrenaline pumps, and hearts beat faster. Minutes before the race, Maroon and Gold athletes warm-up along the first 100 meters of the course, throwing high fives with smiles and shouts of encouragement to one another. Even though hundreds of runners and spectators surround them, these Golden Gophers are immune to distractions, attentive to each other and the task at hand.

Sophomore Gopher harrier Laura Muskatevc explains the emotions she faced moments before the gun went off in this manner, "When you have a dream, a goal, and you toe the line ready to chase in the direction of your dream, you could not want anything more."

With the start of the race, hundreds of runners pour off the starting line with intense strategies in mind. The next 6,000 meters entails competition with the field of opposing athletes, but above all, the exhausting battle with your own heart and mind. You crave to run harder, yet your body tells you it is spent. You dodge elbows of competitors and focus ahead, aiming for the next person to pass in the pursuit to victory. Convincing yourself you are a fighter, you dominate the hills and terrain.

Just when you think that you have nothing left to give, the finish line is in sight, and you desperately lift your legs and stride towards the end. With one last chance to pass opponents, you dig deep into your heart for strength and surge to the finish. In that brief moment, your mind is blank, no matter the outcome of your performance, there is a certain sigh of relief. But as you walk away from the scene, your mind plays out the positives and negatives of every aspect in the race.

"The Griak takes about two weeks of mental preparation leading up to the event, and about a week afterward to get over the highs and lows of the meet," said senior Krista Anderson, a veteran of four Griak Invitationals.

The race is relived in every runner's mind. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, there are always phases of critique and analysis. You pride yourself on the positives, but you remember feeling weak, or backing off, and wonder what would have happened if you wouldn't have let yourself slow down.

Every race is a learning experience, and the Griak resembles a five-thousand level course in any college student's pursuit of a degree. You take the experience, implement the positives into your training, and walk away from the negatives.

Before you know it, you're at the starting line of another race, the gun goes off, and you have another opportunity to chase your dreams.

Written by Annie Wells, a junior on the 2003 Golden Gopher women's cross country team.

On your mark...and the crack of the gun commences the pounding feet of over three hundred runners, and the roar of the crowd. Despite the unseasonable chill of this late September Saturday, there was a warm and competitive mood in the air at the Les Bolstad Golf Course as thousands of spectators cheered on over 3,000 athletes at the 2003 Roy Griak Invitational.

The 18th annual running of the Griak consisted of seven races with over 242 teams from all collegiate divisions and high school. The size of the meet defines the uniqueness to any spectator, but for the athletes involved, it's much more.

For the Minnesota women's cross country team, the Griak doesn't just represent high profile competition, but it stands for pride, togetherness, and hopefulness. The excitement of the meet brings the Gopher women together as they all prepare for one common goal; to have nothing left once they cross the finish line in their home territory.

There is an overwhelming feeling you get as you walk in the gates, and step foot upon your home course, witnessing sites of maroon and gold flags, and the giant Goldy Gopher mascot, reminding you of your inner desire to showcase your school, and the performance expected of one who proudly wears the "M." You feel as if the day is yours, and in that moment, you and the rest of your teammates are unstoppable.

As the start time nears, adrenaline pumps, and hearts beat faster. Minutes before the race, Maroon and Gold athletes warm-up along the first 100 meters of the course, throwing high fives with smiles and shouts of encouragement to one another. Even though hundreds of runners and spectators surround them, these Golden Gophers are immune to distractions, attentive to each other and the task at hand.

Sophomore Gopher harrier Laura Muskatevc explains the emotions she faced moments before the gun went off in this manner, "When you have a dream, a goal, and you toe the line ready to chase in the direction of your dream, you could not want anything more."

With the start of the race, hundreds of runners pour off the starting line with intense strategies in mind. The next 6,000 meters entails competition with the field of opposing athletes, but above all, the exhausting battle with your own heart and mind. You crave to run harder, yet your body tells you it is spent. You dodge elbows of competitors and focus ahead, aiming for the next person to pass in the pursuit to victory. Convincing yourself you are a fighter, you dominate the hills and terrain.

Just when you think that you have nothing left to give, the finish line is in sight, and you desperately lift your legs and stride towards the end. With one last chance to pass opponents, you dig deep into your heart for strength and surge to the finish. In that brief moment, your mind is blank, no matter the outcome of your performance, there is a certain sigh of relief. But as you walk away from the scene, your mind plays out the positives and negatives of every aspect in the race.

"The Griak takes about two weeks of mental preparation leading up to the event, and about a week afterward to get over the highs and lows of the meet," said senior Krista Anderson, a veteran of four Griak Invitationals.

The race is relived in every runner's mind. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, there are always phases of critique and analysis. You pride yourself on the positives, but you remember feeling weak, or backing off, and wonder what would have happened if you wouldn't have let yourself slow down.

Every race is a learning experience, and the Griak resembles a five-thousand level course in any college student's pursuit of a degree. You take the experience, implement the positives into your training, and walk away from the negatives.

Before you know it, you're at the starting line of another race, the gun goes off, and you have another opportunity to chase your dreams.

Written by Annie Wells, a junior on the 2003 Golden Gopher women's cross country team.