First, teams that have less than 5 finishers don't get counted. These individuals just disappear. What this means is that the 5th or even the 6th or 7th runner on a team is just as critical to the teams success as the 1st runner. It makes no difference to the team whether an opponent is beaten by 1 second or 1 minute. The result is the same.
Spectators add much to the ambience of a cross country race.
This is one sport where it is possible for the observer to get as much exercise as the participant. Useful, but not essential accessories include lightweight, comfortable clothing, a good pair of running shoes, a stopwatch, and if you want to try to keep track of the team scores, a pencil and paper. Starts and finishes on the track. Starting and finishing on Middle field, the course climbs Slade Drive twice. The meet was moved this year to avoid scheduling conflicts, to try to enable more teams to come.