Members of the Cornell track and field teams are currently in the United Kingdom, part of the quadrennial two-week tour of Great Britain that culminates with the decades-old rivalry with Oxford and Cambridge. Throughout the trip, women's distance coach Artie Smith will send updates from selected student-athletes as they chronicle their experiences for CornellBigRed.com.

After a fun and relaxing final day in Bangor, the track teams arrived by coach in Birmingham, England on Sunday to a very warm welcome by the University of Birmingham track team. Here is the latest journal entry from one of next year's track captains, Kim Lienhoop '11. Kim recounts our last few days in Bangor and the beginning of our trip to Birmingham:

Kim Lienhoop '11
So far, the Cornell and Penn track and field teams have had a relaxing stay in Bangor, recovering from bus rides and let jag.  Our first overseas competition on Friday, ironically enough, did not have any international competition in the scoring (although local club members competed in the women's 600 and men's hammer), but was a great time nonetheless. The Cornell and Penn squads were divided into three teams which entered participants in random events to fill spots and help each team earn team points at any cost! Entries were particularly interesting since the pole vault was not an option at this facility, but people had fun trying new and events and cheering on their Penn and Cornell team members. Meet highlights included distance runner Nate Edelman '11 trying the 60 meter dash, intermediate hurdler Mike Kippins '10 returning to his jumping roots, high jumper Chris Arlinghaus '12 in the sprint medley relay, distance runner Kelsey Karys '13 in the triple jump, and Charlie Hatch '10 cutting across the field in the distance medley to make up some ground on the competition.

On Saturday, athletes were free to explore the area in whatever way they chose. Many people chose between a carnival and castle in Caenarfon, a castle visit in Conwy or Beaumaris, or hiking in the surrounding areas. I was able to visit historic Beaumaris Castle (like Caenarfon and Conwy, it was built by Edward I in the late 1200s) on Friday after the meet, which gave me time to explore the downtown area of Bangor on Saturday. The pier gave a beautiful view of the Menai Strait and also was a great spot to find homemade scones at the pier café. The local stores (notably Poundland and Aldi) provided convenient snacks at a price not normally seen in New York. The stores close between 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM, so the night scene gets an early head-start. Some people cooked in the dorms but most people wandered to the pubs to grab dinner and watch the World Cup games among the soccer-loving locals. Saturday night ended up with many people staying in to rest and a few people playing group games in the dormitory lobby after packing up for Sunday's departure.

After arriving in Birmingham by bus late Sunday afternoon, our first night has been hectic, but exciting. After being connected with our hosts from the University of Birmingham track team, we headed off in small groups to their apartments, where they made us dinner. It looks to be a visit packed with all types of outings and dinners (like a Hog Roast after Tuesday's match!) and we are sure to have a great time here with our hosts and teammates.