What do you discuss with a colorful four-time UAA Athlete of the Week? If it’s cross country runner Maggie Grabow, hot topics include Beyonce’s endurance, getting a groove on and strawberry jam.

Student Life: Busta Rhymes was recently announced as the headliner for this fall’s WILD. Do you think it would be appropriate to commemorate the star’s appearance with a sculpture? Perhaps a Busta bust?

Maggie Grabow: So Monday morning we are on our daily run, it’s 7 a.m. We run into the quad and the first thing I see is this “ginormous” sign that says Busta Rhymes is coming to WILD. My first reaction is to start screaming and jumping up and down because I’m so ecstatic that Busta is coming to Washington University. Then I realized that the team leaves at 5:30 a.m. on the 4th to go to Terre Haute for a race, so I’ll be able to go and see Busta on the 3rd. As far as the sculpture is concerned, I’m all about a Busta sculpture. There’s nothing better than a bunny and a Busta.

SL: If you were to invite any three people to dinner, who would they be, what would you serve, and why wasn’t I invited?

MG: First of all, I’d definitely have to have Jackie Joyner Kersee ’cause she’s obviously my idol. Running, she’s just amazing and I’ve always looked up to her and all her accomplishments, and I definitely would serve her a big juicy steak and a lot of pasta and potatoes. We need to have the carbs and the protein. Then the second person would be Helen Keller because she’s persevered through so much. Although we couldn’t really speak to each other, with an interpreter I’d really like to hear her story. Third would definitely be Julie Andrews because I’ve always loved “The Sound of Music” and I’ve grown up around “Do, Re, Mi, So, Fa, La, Ti, Do.” So of course I’d have to have jam and bread with her.

SL: As we all know, Britney Spears and Madonna’s MTV makeout session came just two weeks after the Jewish holiday of Tish’aB’Av. If this is Madonna’s way of observing the holiday, what do you think her plans are for the High Holidays?

MG: I don’t know, maybe a rendezvous with Michael Jackson.

SL: Have you guys thought of doing anything to spice your sport up a little? Like adding a jousting event and an event where you swing on a rope to grab a ball, all leading to a gauntlet event? I guess what I am saying is can you make cross country into American Gladiators?

MG: Although it may seem boring, cross country definitely has its ups and downs, and I mean that literally. Sometimes we’ll be going up practically what seems like a 45 degree angle slope and then we’ll be going down a 45 degree angle slope. And we find ourselves in mud puddles, and we come out looking like we’ve been mud wrestling instead of running a cross country race. We jump over roots and branches, hurdle around trees, run into girls, get spiked, bleed. It’s definitely more rough than what people make it out to be.

SL: You’ve received the UAA Athlete of the Week award four times, twice this season. Don’t you think its time to spread the wealth?

MG: Oh sure, there’s so many girls on this team that are deserving of a UAA Athlete of the Week award. It’s such an honor, and I’m so proud to be given the honor, but I think that so many people on the team work hard enough that they deserve it just as much as I do.

SL: Lonelier: the long distance runner or J. Lo and Ben Affleck at the “Gigli” Premier Party?

MG: I’d definitely have to say the latter of the two choices. We’re a team, we’re definitely not lonely. But those two, I don’t know about that.

SL: Do you ever feel like it’s run, run, run or coach will take the T-bird away?

MG: No, Coach Jeff is a great coach. He encourages us to run for ourselves and for fun, so there isn’t any pressure.

SL: When Arnold Schwartzenegger finishes off an enemy in “Running Man,” as in most of his work, he normally makes light of their gruesome death with a one-line joke. Do you ever do this when you defeat an opponent?

MG: No, of course not. I would never make a joke of an opponent. I actually make friends with most of them.

SL: Do you have a nickname on the team. If so, how did you earn it?

MG: Well, considering my favorite song is “Bootylicious,” I’ve been known to be called “Maggalicious” or “Dancing Maglet” because I love to dance. Freshman year at Emory after the Conference race, the Brandeis girls decided to get on top of their van and get their groove on. Well, since I’m no chicken and I love to dance, I hopped right on top of that van and got my groove on with those girls and we had a blast. And to this day coach Jeff will never let me live that down.

SL: Your favorite song is “Bootylicious?”

MG: You bet. And you thought runners had endurance. Well, so does Beyonce.

SL: What steps would you recommend to prepare jelly?

MG: Well, I must say I make some pretty good strawberry jam. All it takes is some handpicked strawberries, some sugar, and a little shakin’.

SL: How do you guys entertain yourselves on a long road trip?

MG: Well, our latest is to pretend we were someone else and call the boys on the team and ask them out on dates as a prank. Although we were unsuccessful, it sure gave us a good laugh and made the five hour trip seem not as long.

SL: President Bush, an avid runner, almost choked on a pretzel once. Why hasn’t there been anything done to prevent pretzel-related injuries to cross country athletes?

MG: Well, cross country runners like the real carbs. We don’t deal with pretzels. We like the pasta.

SL: Just a few weeks ago, you won the Washington University Early Bird Meet. The only early bird I’ve ever won was the early bird special at the diner. How did this feel?

MG: Well, I went into it a little nervous ’cause I hadn’t competed in such a long time, but after I won I was feeling more confident and I was really looking forward to competing again, and I was totally flustered that I did so well. And I got me a toaster out of it, so hey, that’s pretty good.

SL: How did you get a toaster?

MG: That was the first prize, so I got a toaster.

SL: Finishing races isn’t always easy. Has an attempt to break through the finish line in slow-mo, dramatic fashion with arms flailing, ever cost you a victory?

MG: I’d have to say no because that’s the last thing you want to think about when you’re about to cross the finish line. You just want to get it over with. So no slow-mo for me.

SL: What happens after you run into the distance, leaping for joy, the screen fades and credits roll.

MG: Then it’s time for an ice bath, baby!

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