Senior Nate Krah's 28th-place finish at the cross-country Division III National Championships gained him All-American honors on November 10. This recognition crowns a remarkable season in which Krah was selected to the All-Maine, All-NESCAC, and All-New England teams.
The All-American honor stands atop a long list of accolades that the accomplished distance runner has earned in his running career.
In 2006, Krah, currently a captain of the cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track teams, was seeded fourth in the 5000-meter championship at Springfield College. A master of gleaning information from his competition , Krah spent the afternoon fraternizing with his opponents about their strategies before the NCAA race.
"Nate had a good warm-up, talked to some of his opponents about their plans and their training, and then he came over to me and said, 'I'm going to win this race,'" Head Coach Peter Slovenski said.
The gun went off and Krah ran with a front pack that included two All-New England runners and the NCAA 2005 cross-country champion, Neal Holtschulte of Williams. In the final 800 meters, with Krah and Holtschulte alone at the front, the Williams runner surged ahead and Nate responded. In the final 400, amid the din of screaming fans, Krah shifted into high gear and broke into a sprint, pulling away from the Williams runner for a 10-meter victory.
"It was one of the best upsets I've watched in 20 years at Bowdoin," said Slovenski. "It was a great example of how Nate lifts our team with his performances."
In the 2006 Open New England Championships, Krah, up against Division I, II, and III athletes, ran one of the best 10K races in Bowdoin history. His 30:52 put him in second place and qualified him for his first appearance at nationals, where he finished 13th.
"A lot of runners have the talent that Nate has, but he is one of the best at knowing what works for him," teammate Ken Akiha '08 said.
"When he is in a groove, doing what works for him, there is no one he can't run with," Akiha added.
Perhaps Krah's smartest race was his runner-up finish in the 5K at the 2007 New England Championships. During the race, officials miscounted the number of laps Krah had run, and when Krah had one mile to go he realized their mistake. In his last two laps he sprinted ahead of the three runners in front of him.
"That was a very clever finish that Nate pulled off with guidance from Tyler Lonsdale," recalled Slovenski. "Tyler was counting laps and taking splits for Nate, so it was the teamwork of Tyler and Nate that pulled off another great upset."
Krah considers his teammates an integral part of his success.
"I wouldn't be where I am without my teammates," Krah said. "I get to race, or run with, some of the best guys in New England every day in practice."
"They really provide the attitude and character of Bowdoin XC and that is what drives all of our success," he added.