"They have an instinct, I call it race savvy,'' Byrne said. "They have an understand- ing of each other and how to win the race; how to ex- pand their energy and not freak out if it hurts a little bit. Ultimately, they understand the heartbeat of the race.''
until we got more information, and that informa- tion — both responded real well over the last three weeks — was basically a no-brainer in the end. "Hey, they're healthy right now, they feel very fit.
Who knows what it will be like this time next year? Both Mo and Reed have had injuries. So it all made sense: Feel strong, feel fit, let's do it.'' 3/14. That meant the Big 3 — Ahmed, Connor and Dar-
ling — would be kept intact to work on keeping the streak alive. What is the common thread that runs through all three? "They have an instinct, I call it race savvy,'' Byrne said. "They have an understanding of each other and how to win the race; how to expand their en- ergy and not freak out if it hurts a little bit. "Ultimately, they understand the heartbeat of the race.''
Ahmed viewed "race savvy'' as "the ability to read the race'' and "stay in control.'' He noted a recent running workout with Wiscon-
46 » VARSITY OCTOBER 25, 2012
sin student assistant Elliot Krause, who ran along- side of Ahmed and Connor and Darling as a mem- ber of the 2011 NCAA championship team. "I was getting too excited so I'm picking up the pace,'' Ahmed said, "and Elliot looks at me and say, 'Mo, stay controlled. Think and stay controlled.' That to me is race savvy.'' As hardened racers, they mesh. Off the course,
it's an interesting mix of personalities and back- grounds. Connor is from Houston, Texas. Darling is from Ovid, Michigan. Ahmed is from Canada. "All three of those guys bring something different to the table,'' Byrne said. "Mo is kind of the light- hearted one. Maverick is the much more serious one. Reed is the balance between the two. "He's the guy who brings everybody back to real- ity and square one.''
That means only one thing to Ahmed. 14.
"We're all going for the same goal,'' he said. "And it makes us all the same.''
