PORTLAND, Ore. — It has been just over four weeks since the Portland State cross country program reported back to campus. It's also just over four weeks until the championship portion of the Vikings' schedule opens with the Big Sky Championships on Oct. 27.
 
Add in that Saturday's Charles Bowles Invitational will be the Vikings' fourth meet out of eight guaranteed this season, and it's clear to see that this weekend marks a halfway point for the program.
 
The first half of the Vikings' 2023 fall schedule has been marked by adjustments. Adjusting to a new coaching staff. Adjusting to new training methods. And adjusting to a new racing style.
 
"You look at it, you've got to zoom out and take a panoramic view and seeing where we started to where we are now, athletes are running paces at durations they didn't think they were capable of a month ago at practices. They're able to really execute a race plan they really weren't sure of a month ago and see success with that. And also, they're able to feel like they're getting better and stronger and faster with the amount of focus that we're putting on the weight room and on strength," first-year head coach Jonathan Marcus said of the team's progress over the first half of the season.
 
"There was a lot of uncertainty at first, but now they're kind of seeing how the training system works and how it's designed to make them stronger and faster during the time that we really esteem, which is going to be that championship portion of the calendar."
 
Recent success has helped justify the changes Marcus and his fellow coaches have made to the team's training and racing style. The Viking women have placed three runners in the top 10 of each of the past two meets, which included a team win at the Oak Knoll Loop Run on Sept. 16.
 
Abi Swain, Jamie Zamrin and Emma Stolte have been the three runners to crack the top 10 during each of the past two weekends. At the Mike Johnson Classic last Saturday, Swain recorded their highest finish ever with a second-place finish, while Zamrin finished right behind her at third. The three top 10 finishes nearly led the Vikings to another team win, as the Viking women placed second behind host Western Oregon.
 
Saturday will see the Vikings adjust again. Instead of running a 6k, like they have at their last two meets, the Viking women will drop down to a 5k. That means the Vikings' strategy of running the first half together before splitting off for a fast last half of the race will have to be adjusted. Marcus estimates the break off point will move up to after the first mile Saturday, especially given the large size of the field expected at the Charles Bowles Invitational.
 
Besides the new racing distance, the Vikings will also be encountering their biggest field to date. Around 150 to 200 runners will likely be in either race at the Charles Bowles Invitational Saturday, similar sizes to what the Vikings will face at the NCAA West Regional in November.
 
That makes staying together as a pack earlier in the race a little more challenging for the Vikings. But that's what makes it good practice for regionals.
 
"It'll be a test because with a big field you can get caught up with the early excitement and going out too fast, but thankfully this course is pretty wide and not super narrow. It gives us a lot of time to work up through the field," Marcus said of the specifics of the Charles Bowles Invitational.
 
The men don't have to worry about a change to their racing distance. Just the size of the field. It'll be the biggest field yet for the Viking freshmen and newcomers. Veteran Zach Grams has been shepherding the younger runners through the first half of the first couple races of the season. He'll do that again over the first half of Saturday's race, but then he'll release from there for what he hopes will be a big finish.
 
"Zach Grams has been really coming on strong at practice and is chomping at the bit to really get out there and race. So, this is going to be a hybrid. A controlled first half and then take off and see where we're at in the second half," Marcus said of Grams' racing strategy.
 
The men's younger runners have also been making progress, according to Marcus. It's not quite the halfway point of the season for them, given they missed the first race of the season and brought in some newcomers late. Still, Saturday represents a point of demarcation for them, too.
 
"Amir [Ahmed] is just getting better and better and better at being a Division I cross country athlete every race. So is Lyness [Ota]. It's a work in progress, but we're definitely headed in the right direction."  
 
After Saturday, the Vikings enter the second half of their season, which will be marked by the championship meets in October and November. The job doesn't change for the Vikings in the second half. They'll still be focused on getting better and better as they head towards the counting races.
 
However, the stakes go up as the fields get better and the races start to count.
 
MEET INFO
Saturday, Sept. 30 – Charles Bowles Invitational – Salem, Ore. (Bush's Pasture Park)
 
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MEET SCHEDULE
Time                Event
8:30 a.m.         Men's 8k
9:20 a.m.         Women's 5k