Editor's letter

There’s no easy answer to cross challenge

OPTIMISTS hope the resurrection of a home countries cross-country contest in Edinburgh on Saturday will trigger a renaissance in British distance running. But don’t hold your breath.

The creation of more international opportunities, they believe, will inspire athletes to train harder and run faster. There is some truth in this and it is not a backward step. But as a standalone concept it has about as much chance of generating African slaying Brits as the revival of a home nations football tournament has of producing Brazil-beating World Cup winners.

Unfortunately, as we will see on Sunday, the challenge is now so big that creating such opportunities for domestic runners will barely scratch the surface of the problem. Wider, cultural issues are to blame, with children in the developed world reared on a lethal diet of fast food, television and computer games. In comparison, Africans are generally hungrier and the simple pursuit of running is one of the few options available if they want to escape poverty.

So what can be done? Well, as Paula Radcliffe has shown, one-off success stories are possible. There are few secrets either.

Hard training, together with luck with injuries, is the keystone to success. Ambitious athletes must also embrace a monastic existence in Spartan training camps. Then, when the work is done, they get to test themselves against the likes of Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba at the World Cross itself.

It’s not called the world’s toughest race for nothing and anyone who is brave enough to tackle it has my utmost respect, whatever their standard.

Jason Henderson, Editor

From this week's Athletics Weekly, - available in WH Smith and all good newsagents, or on subscription

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