Elizabeth Page ’28 is a first-year cross country runner from Anchorage, Alaska. She led the Garnet women’s cross country team with a 49th place finish out of 387 runners in the Paul Short Run on Saturday at Lehigh University. She completed the 6-kilometer course in an impressive time of 22:20.3. The Paul Short Run is one of the largest collegiate cross country meets in the country, and Page helped the Garnet to a 74th place finish out of 164 total teams. Within the Division III standings, Swarthmore placed seventeenth out of 46 teams. Previously, Page finished in seventeenth place with a personal best of 18:55.1 in the Main Line Invitational 5-kilometer race. She was one of the top finishers not from a Division I school at the meet and aided the Garnet to fourth place above two Division II teams. The cross country team competes next on Oct. 19 at the Border Battle in Logan Township, NJ.
Abby Chang: How did you feel about the Paul Short Run this weekend?
Elizabeth Page: I feel really good about how the race went this past weekend! Paul Short was the largest cross country meet I have ever run at, so it was really cool to see schools from all over the country competing against each other on the same course, and having so many people there made the energy and the environment everything I love about cross country.
AC: What have been some of the highlights of the season or preseason thus far?
EP: Some of the highlights of the season so far have to be getting brunch with the rest of the women’s team after practice, team game nights, and cheering on my teammates at meets.
AC: What are some of the team and your personal goals for the rest of the season?
EP: Teamwise, the big goal right now is qualifying for nationals which means being the first in our region, and so far that goal is looking achievable. Personally, I really want to run a sub-22-minute 6k!
AC: Do you have any pre-meet or post-meet rituals?
The night before or day of meets I usually spend some time watching old cross country races to try and get myself in the right mindset to race. I also try to remind myself of my goals and what I’ve accomplished during the practices leading up; staying mentally tough and feeling like I have a strong sense of self-efficacy are really important to me leading up to and during a competition.
AC: Do you have an athlete role model or someone in the sport you look up to?
EP: One of my role models would have to be Allie Ostrander, since she is a fellow Alaskan, and I’ve been following her running career for a long time. I really admire the role she has played in spreading awareness and encouraging open discussion on eating disorders amongst female athletes.
AC: Why did you decide to become a cross-country runner?
EP: I’ve been doing cross country as my main sport for pretty much my entire life. I was definitely influenced by my parents to start running when I was younger, since both of them run, and then I joined my school’s cross country team when I was in middle school and have been doing it ever since.
AC: Why did you choose Swarthmore? What is your area of study?
EP: I chose Swarthmore because I wanted to experience a totally new environment since I’m from the Northwest, and I wanted to be able to continue competing in running while being somewhere I can achieve my academic goals. As of right now, I am interested in studying psychology!
AC: What is your favorite class that you’ve taken at Swarthmore?
EP: At the moment, my favorite class is Intro to Philosophy: Rationality and Religious Beliefs with [Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy Rosanna Picascia].
AC: Favorite Dining Center bar?
EP: My favorite dining center bar is probably the dessert bar. My secret to success is eating at least one piece of cheesecake every day.
