Less than 24 hours from the start of NXN, the start area is almost complete.
44 teams took to the Portland Meadows course late this morning. What they found was a course a lot like last year--not exactly dry, but solid by Portland Meadows standards.
The route around the south end of the infield of the horse track has been rerouted to force runners through some of the few of the muddy areas available. So, after about one kilometer of solid footing, tomorrow's racers will go through roughly 200 meters of wet, sloppy course before hitting the whoop-de-doos and returning to terra firma. The same section will be repeated just after three kilometers.
Outside of that, the course presents no real surprises. The approach to the "dry steeplechase" is muddy and will require some quick decision making on the part of the racers--especially those who approach that part of the course closely following other runners.
A couple of the turns will get slicker as the day's racing progresses and the cover of grass is churned up by a multitude of spikes. Temperatures in the low 40s are expected. On the whole, things appear to be shaping up for relatively fast times at Portland Meadows.
Team posturing? Almost none of it is detectable. Word is out, especially on the boys' side, that this year's field is extremely balanced. And with even the team videos at opening ceremonies dispensed with, there has been little of opportunity or cause for teams to play mind games. An air of mutual respect is pervasive on the eve of the team national championship.
Tomorrow, we crown the national champions for the 2009 season.