One of the greatest challenges in cross country running is overcoming the mental hurdles, fighting through the physical pain and constantly having to answer the question, “Can I keep going?” with each and every passing mile.

“Your mind says stop while your heart says to keep running,” sophomore Dustin Fay said.

It’s a challenge any runner, whether the novice or seasoned veteran, must come to grips with when moving down the path.

Some individuals better themselves by changing their running form – lengthening their stride, altering the position of their arms or torso – while others rely on building their stamina through practice.

But no matter the level of skill or amount of practice or preparation, these options can only delay the inevitable pain from actually running along the course. And make no mistake, pain is universal when it comes to cross country running.

Because of this, one of the most useful tools for runners is the notion of pack running, the idea that the best way to run is with others as a unified group. Instead of running in isolation, to fend for yourself against the mental obstacles that begin to flood the mind, you can move with your teammates, feeding off their energy and finding comfort that you all are fighting the same battle.

And on Saturday’s Pac-12 Championships in Tempe, Ariz., the men and women’s cross country teams fought together and for one another.

The No. 20 men’s squad finished in fourth place, as redshirt senior Kent Morikawa led the way with a time of 23:29. Sophomore Nohe Lema (23:51), sophomore Dustin Fay (23:57), redshirt freshman Chase Zukerman (24:18) and junior Zack Torres (24:21) rounded out the rest of the scoring squad, in which runners two through five were separated by less than 30 seconds.

“We ran well as a team,” Morikawa said. “We keep telling ourselves to keep pushing and pushing, so we’re confident enough that it just becomes another day in the office come race time.”

The Bruins held out to a strong fourth-place finish behind Colorado, Stanford and Oregon despite being without redshirt senior leader Dylan Knight and standout freshman Shayne Collins because of illness and injury.

“Our men are just very consistent. And it’s nice to know that we may not have our best days, but we can go in there and still get the job done,” coach Forest Braden said.

On the women’s side, redshirt junior Katja Goldring continues to inspire and lead her squad with a time of 21:20. Freshman Annie Mooney (21:40), redshirt freshman Kelsey Smith (21:41), junior Sarah Toberty (22:00) and freshman Bronte Golick (22:00) rounded out the rest of the scoring squad.

While the women’s team finished 10th in the meet, the runners continued to show improvement and have gained much-needed experience for a group that features many underclassmen.

“The women rolled together, fed off each other. They trusted each other and ran the entire race together,” Braden said.

“While things haven’t clicked completely yet, the pieces are there. We’re taking the steps to get back to where we know we can be.”

Colorado claimed the conference title on both the men’s and women’s side.

Despite the high level of competition, all runners from both the men’s and women’s teams succeeded in moving as a pack and gaining momentum as they head into the final stretch of the season.

The squads will next lace up at the starting line on Nov. 12 in Palo Alto for the NCAA West Regional.