Although the rush of campus life may be daunting for some, it pales in comparison to the men's cross-country team's average pace.
The team, which races this Saturday at the Wesleyan Invitational in Middletown, Conn., placed second out of four teams at its first meet, which was hosted by Bates College last Saturday at Pineland Farms.
The Polar Bears totaled 170 points at Pineland farms, trailing just behind Bates, who had a score of 164, but ahead of Tufts and Colby, who had scores of 192 and 326, respectively.
While the race was important to the team, but the result was not all that mattered.
"We were fairly pleased," Senior Mike Mitchell said. "We trained through the race because we are concentrating on the meets later in the season."
The team was led by first year Coby Horowitz, who finished in fourth place with a time of 26 minutes and 34 seconds. Other top finishers included Colin Ogilvie '12 in eighth place, Stan Berkow '11 in 11th and Sam Seekins '14 in 13th.
Mitchell was especially impressed with the performances of the first years.
"Coby Horowitz, Sam Seekins, Nick Saba and James Boeding all had great races in their first college cross-country meets," he said.
The cross-country team is coached by Peter Slovenski, who is entering his 25th year as the head of the men's and women's cross country teams. He has led the men's cross country team to three NESCAC championships, and has won NESCAC Coach of the Year three times.
Although the hurried speed of life at Bowdoin may cause anxiety in some, for the men's cross-country runners it is simply another arena for them to practice the careful pacing and determination that they hone on a daily basis.