Spencer Glubay, Walla Walla University senior bioengineering major, finished 48th out 335 cross-country runners at the 64th annual National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics cross-country meet. The race was hosted by the Cascade Collegiate Conference in Vancouver, Washington, on Nov. 22, 2019. The competition took place over a five-mile (eight-kilometer) grass track at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Glubay ran a time of 25:52.8, crossing the line one minute and 13 seconds behind the first-place finisher Mark Shaw, a senior from Oklahoma City University, whose time was 24:39.5.

“It was absolutely amazing weather for a race,” Glubay said. “I didn’t start out as fast as I usually do, so I got stuck in about 70th place for the first two laps. I was stressed at the beginning because it was so crowded, but during the last two laps I was making up a lot of ground. I just tried to run relaxed and push myself.”

Glubay began running in elementary school where he found that he was faster than his classmates. He continued to win races through high school, ran several 5K’s during the first two years of college and has been part of the WWU cross-country team since his junior year.

WWU added cross-country as a varsity sport in 2018. Cross-country running is a type of running on natural terrain, such as grass or dirt, and may include hills, woods, and other natural features.

Glubay hopes to continue long-distance running, including marathons and triathlons. Earlier in the summer of 2019, he qualified for the Boston marathon. Glubay said, “Some lessons I’ve learned from running are that life isn’t easy and there is always someone better than you, but you get out what you put in. If you put the time into something, you’ll reap the reward for the time you put into it.”

To view the complete race results list, visit NAIAraceresults.

Posted Jan. 27, 2020