Garek Bielaczyc of East High School in Utah ran 19:59 over 6K to place 12th overall and No. 2 for Team USA at the Great Edinburgh Run last weekend. Below are his reflections on his first international racing experience:
What a great trip!!
It was so amazing to represent the United States and run with some of the best people in the nation. The race went well! The course was probably the muddiest course I've ever raced but it was fun! My spikes were so caked with mud that they started to way down my feet! Everyone preformed awesome! It was too bad that Austin had some hamstring issues but I'm sure he'll be back. After the race we hung around and watched Garrett Heath have a monster race and beat Mo Farah! Paul and I went nuts when we saw it!!
Looking back on the trip is was a lot of fun! Not only was o everyone on the team super nice but everyone we came across seemed eager to talk about our race! Cross Country is a pretty big sport in Scotland and there was easily 3,000 supporters at the race! It was really cool to see so many people, especially the younger generations, be excited for a sport that isn't given a lot of attention in the US. People were asking for our bibs, hats, and even spikes! A lot of younger kids were there and it was cool to interact with them and see how excited then were to run for their schools. Scotland was filled with wonderful people and I am so thankful for USATF for giving me the opportunity to experience a country who loves to support cross country. 
