Runners use secret ingredient to win NCAA races: olive oil

Brigham Young University was ready for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Saturday. It featured strong men’s and women’s teams that each won the Big 12 Championship.

But BYU and all the other participants faced a challenge. Race day in Verona, Wisconsin was expected to be quite cold with temperatures in the mid to high 30s. That would be anything but pleasant for runners in shorts and undershirts.

BYU had a plan that was as innovative as it was ancient: Have runners smear their bodies with olive oil, which men’s coach Ed Eyestone called “an old-school running trick.”

“We did it every year when it was cold,” said women’s coach Diljeet Taylor. “It’s a trick. You don’t see many people doing that.”

“I used it a lot as an athlete,” Eyestone said. 40 years ago, I won the NCAA title wearing brown gardening gloves, bare arms and shorts. That was a much worse day. I used olive oil.”

BYU’s trick was most likely their only trick at this year’s championships. “I would guess we were the only ones using it,” Eyestone said. “I don’t see it as much anymore.”