Buried Story of the Year?

[dl]

The IAAF is considering holding World XC only every other year:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadi ... Q_eOkQetUg

[Daisy]

Re: Buried Lead of the Year?

Cross country has lost popularity to road racing top distance racers who often disregard the traditional event.

Is this actually true?

[gh]

I think what's more true is that too many Europeans have given up on the event, since they don't want to follow a steady parade of Kenyans/Ethiopians across the line. And that's making it tough to find European venues.

[El Toro]

I think what's more true is that too many Europeans have given up on the event, since they don't want to follow a steady parade of Kenyans/Ethiopians across the line. And that's making it tough to find European venues.

I believe Mombassa is available on an ongoing basis..... :twisted:

[Rineanna]

It's a good idea, in my opinion.

Being held year-in year-out didn't really do anything to enhance the championship's prestige or status; it was nearly like an annual Grand Prix.

There should be more anticipation when the event comes around, given it won't be as regular.

Plus, finding venues to host it should become a tad easier if the plan goes through.

[Master Po]

I'm for keeping it an annual event, but that's just because I love xc. But however frequently and wherever it's scheduled, of one thing we can be sure: pretty much everyone in the race, except a few stray Eritreans, Tanzanians, Ugandans, Moroccans, etc. will follow a steady parade of Kenyans and Ethiopians across the line...

[jpaule]

It's all about the green$$$$$$$$$$

[dl]

I understand the reasoning, but I think there's more they could do to make it a appealing event, especially to Europeans, such as cracking down on age forgery, B.S. transfers of allegiance, and not holding the event on rock hard surfaces at altitude (Amman).

Hold it on muddy, tough courses, such as the slop in Oostend, Belgium, 2001. The Africans will still win, but they won't dominate by quite as much, and non-Africans will have a chance at medaling.

[Jnathletics]

Isn't it being held in Poland this year? To demonstrate that it could be included in the Winter Olympics? Not sure if the frozen ground at a winter olympics will help the Europeans much, but the cold will. :wink: I perfer the muddy, creek and log jumping type of course anyday.

What X-C should be

Give me gloom and doom of overcast skies
lots of rain and mud upto your thighs
where the hills and long wet grass
keep the speedsters a mass
And the strongest truely survive.

[Powell]

Isn't it being held in Poland this year? To demonstrate that it could be included in the Winter Olympics? Not sure if the frozen ground at a winter olympics will help the Europeans much, but the cold will. :wink:

Poland is not Siberia, you know. Not saying it can't happen, but you normally wouldn't expect temperatures in late March to be in the sub-freezing zone.

[Halfmiler2]

It does come on top of the WIC every other year in March. That does not cause a major problem for many athletes but I'd guess it does create logistical problems for the IAAF and NGB's.

A compromise might be to hold the WIC only every 4th year (the even year between Summer Olympics) when there is no other major world track & field championship. World Cross Country could be held the other three years in each Olympiad.

[K.I.R.]

I understand the reasoning, but I think there's more they could do to make it a appealing event, especially to Europeans, such as cracking down on age forgery, B.S. transfers of allegiance, and not holding the event on rock hard surfaces at altitude (Amman).

Hold it on muddy, tough courses, such as the slop in Oostend, Belgium, 2001. The Africans will still win, but they won't dominate by quite as much, and non-Africans will have a chance at medaling.

Perhaps the IAAF should make 'The Africans' find a partner and do a three-legged race.
Deliberately altering the conditions to benefit one group at the expense of another is laughable and ridiculous. This is sport not a handicap-accessible restroom.
Might as well just have the white guys run 11K.

[doug091463]

i hope they keep it every year, as in my opinion it is the hardest distance race to win.

they talked about changing the team scoring from 6 on each team with the top 4 scoring to 9 on the team with top 6 scoring. i like this.

as for the africans dominating distance running, yes but its always changing, the usa had the best runners in the world a few times as did the british, the finns, sweden and some others at one time or another in recent history.

to me it will be interesting to see who the next world xc champ from the USA will be, it has been been a while since the last of craig virgins titles, but on the female side it has only been 5-6 years since deena kastor won and a few years before that lynn jennings won 3, the USA nused to alway seem to win the junior team title when there were standouts like thom hunt, ralph serna, rich kimball etc.

the difference is even with a smaller overall population kenya and ethiopia have more possible good distance runners as they have about a 1% fat population, compared with the USA and europe where 75 % are fat and it seems like more than that number. i think the USA will beat both kenya and ethiopia in distance running when we get our country down to a 1% fat population or build fastfood restaurants seemingly never more than a quarter of a mile anywhere like we do in most places. if a great kenyan/ethiopian runner went from 5 foot 10 and 130 pounds to 5 foot 10 and 230 pounds, then he would become a former great runner.

[K.I.R.]

they talked about changing the team scoring from 6 on each team with the top 4 scoring to 9 on the team with top 6 scoring. i like this.

This would make bronze the only available team medal.

as for the africans dominating distance running, yes but its always changing, the usa had the best runners in the world a few times as did the british, the finns, sweden and some others at one time or another in recent history.

Define 'recent.' While the US and Britain might've had a handful of guys mixing it up with the best in the world as recently as the 80s, and Finland a couple top guns, they never had the depth that Kenya and Ethiopia have today. The Swedes were still raping and pillaging the Atlantic seaboard the last time they had more than one guy amongst the best distance runners globally.

on the female side it has only been 5-6 years since deena kastor won

Kastor's best finish at World Cross is 2nd, in Lausanne and Dublin.

[dl]

The US senior men could definitely be more competitive and challenge for team medals, but many of our top runners either don't do cross at all, or are reluctant to compete at Worlds. Those who do a spring marathon (e.g. Ritz, Hall) can't be blamed for skipping it, but as a fan, I'd love to see guys like Solinsky, Tegenkamp and Rupp run World XC, but I wouldn't be surprised if they never run a cross race again. Of course, from their recent track success, they're doing something right!

This leads to another tangential topic. Distance running at the very top level is so competitive these days that it's tough to be an all-around distance runner (cross, track, road). If you're not Bekele, it seems like you almost have to sacrifice cross and road to try to compete for a medal on the track.