The World Cross Nation Championships was lengthy referred to as the best footrace on earth, given that it introduced collectively the entire world of elite operating, from the middle-distance specialists as much as the marathon legends. It was a novel conflict of the largest names from all surfaces.
Immediately, the power in depth of distance operating has by no means been larger however it’s now a really totally different world.
In case you haven’t heard, the forty fourth World Athletics Cross Nation Championships is quickly to be with us (it’s 50 years because the first one) and, for the primary time in a few years, it’s going down in mid-February – Saturday 18 to be exact – a couple of month earlier than its conventional late March slot. This fifth version of the championships to be going down within the southern hemisphere is being staged at Mount Panorama – a venue higher recognized for motor racing reasonably than the fleet of foot – simply exterior Bathurst, Australia, roughly 100 miles west of Sydney.
Sure, that’s proper. Australia, in February, which is their excessive summer time. Maybe not what you may affiliate with a self-discipline which has its roots in winter.
I’m sympathetic to the necessity to transfer this occasion all over the world – and primarily for causes of value, there aren’t so many locations bidding to host it today – however I additionally stay disillusioned that it appears set to be held round a parched Australian hillside with temperatures most likely within the mid to excessive twenties centigrade.
Mount Panorama
Cross nation operating ought to ask totally different questions of individuals to the challenges of flat street and monitor summer time racing, and whereas hills are usually year-round bodily options, cool temperatures, a muddy and unpredictable floor, mixed with twists and turns and different floor variations, are extra widespread in an actual winter. For me, a minimum of, these are ideally non-negotiables. In any other case, what’s the purpose?
To be frank, a world cross nation championships ought to no extra be staged in the midst of the Australian summer time than a world outside monitor championships needs to be held within the UK in mid-January.
» That is an edited model of an article that seems within the February situation of AW journal. To learn the total function, click on right here
» Tim Hutchings received a silver medal on the World Cross Nation Championships in 1984 and 1989 and these days works as an athletics broadcaster
