In this article, Team Manager Matt Long provides insights into the upcoming England Masters Cross Country Team Selection Race and the subsequent British & Irish Masters’ Cross Country International.

England Masters Cross Country Team Selection Race

Mark your calendars for the England Masters Cross Country Team Selection Race in Derby, scheduled for October 14th. This event will determine who earns the coveted white and red rosed vest, symbolizing Team England, by completing laps around the picturesque Markeaton Park.

British & Irish Masters’ Cross Country International

On the day of the trial race, teams will be chosen for the British & Irish Masters’ Cross Country International, set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday, November 11th. Athletes across various age categories, ranging from 35 to 75 plus, will be selected to represent their country. The race distances differ based on age groups, with the opportunity to compete in distances ranging from 6k to 9.8k.

Race entry for this prestigious event will be available through the BMAF Open Track system, with a closing date of September 26th, 2023.

Selection Policy

To be eligible for selection, athletes must be members of an Area Masters Club. The top four finishers from teams of six and the top three from teams of four will be automatically selected. Age categories for teams of six include M35, M40, M45, and M50, while teams of four encompass W35 to W75 plus, M55, M60, M65, M70, and M75 plus. For those unable to attend the trial race, there is still an opportunity for selection by submitting an expression of interest form on the BMAF website to the relevant area selector.

Area Selectors

Reach out to the following area selectors for entries or expressions of interest:

EMAC Yuko Gordon: yukogordon238@gmail.com
MMAC Mick Smedley: mandmsmedley@gmail.com
NEMAA Kim Matthews: kimrunner11@hotmail.co.uk
NMAC Sue Cordingley: suebecconsall@btinternet.com
SCVAC Michael Jefferies: jefferies_478@hotmail.com
SWVAC Alison White: ali.white@btinternet.com
VAC Mike Mann: mcmann90@yahoo.co.uk
ISLE OF MAN Mo Kelly: mokelly@manx.net

Accessibility and Incentives

This year, Glasgow hosts the event, making it far more accessible for English athletes than the previous location, Belfast. Most area clubs offer to cover a portion of travel expenses, providing an added incentive to compete internationally without breaking your budget.

For the Chosen Ones

Athletes selected to represent Team England will receive their Team England vests, embroidered with the specific race date and location. These vests are symbolic, akin to international ‘caps’ in other sports.

Gemma Steel. Photo: Mark Hookway

Webinars and Mentorship

Leading up to the event, there will be a series of online webinars in October and November, serving as team briefings and bonding sessions. Notably, 2014 European senior cross country champion Gemma Steel has agreed to serve as an athlete mentor during one of these sessions. Gemma will provide valuable training tips to help athletes prepare for the big day.

Training for the Trial Race

How should one prepare for the trial race? Let’s use an analogy of a ‘Club Sandwich’ session to shed light on effective training strategies.

Imagine a Club Sandwich, a delicious culinary invention. A ‘Club Sandwich’ session in cross country training consists of two essential slices of bread, representing a fast cross country start and a fast finish. These slices symbolize thin crust speed endurance work, demanding immediate engagement without a gradual buildup. Athletes should expect to feel the lactate very early on.

The ‘Spicy Layers’

Within the middle of our ‘Club Sandwich’ session, athletes can expect to encounter at least three or possibly four spicy layers:

Kenyan hills: These segments involve continuous effort up and down a hill, typically lasting about a minute uphill and a similar duration downhill. Kenyan hills build strength endurance without heavily stressing the lactate energy system.

Hill sprints: Similar to Kenyan hills, hill sprints focus on building strength endurance. However, the key difference is that athletes can sprint uphill, as the downhills are at a jogging pace. This segment intentionally stresses the lactate energy system.

Threshold on the flat: Athletes run at their one-hour race pace or what renowned coach and physiologist Jack Daniels termed ‘comfortably hard.’

Race pace on the flat: Given that cross country races typically do not exceed one hour, this segment pushes athletes beyond their threshold pace. It’s typically shorter in duration compared to threshold work.

Example Session

Here’s an example session (please note that this is an example session designed generically and it might not be suitable for everyone. If unsure it is worth speaking with a club coach):

90 seconds fast.
10 minutes Kenyan hills.
10 minutes at threshold on flat.
6 x 30-second hill sprints.
7 minutes at cross country race pace on flat.
2 minutes fast.

It’s essential to emphasize that this type of session should be reserved for the pre-competition and competition phases of the cross-country season. Athletes must “earn the right” to attempt these sessions by focusing on each component separately in stand-alone sessions before combining them into a challenging simulation.

Remember, diversity in training sessions is crucial, so consider varying the order of the components to maintain progress. The total volume of the session should aim to simulate the volume of the specific cross country race being targeted.

For further inquiries or information, contact Matt Long, England Cross Country Team Manager for Masters, at mattlongcoach@gmail.com.

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Caryl Edwards (nee Jones) of Swansea Harriers is the outstanding entry in the women’s race and is always a tough competitor with a 71:18 best for half marathon to her name. Her most recent title on the country came at Singleton Park in 2016 where she overcame Andrea Whitcombe in one of the greatest contests that these Championships have seen.

Steeplechase specialist Lauren Cooper (Parc Bryn Bach) will perhaps be the most likely to challenge her along with Kate Roberts of Swansea Harriers and Alaw Beynon-Thomas of Les Croupiers.

Sioned Howells (Swansea Harriers) and Donna Morris (Builth & District) are regular newcomers in comparison but have also been performing well in recent months.

James Hunt. Credit Paul Stillman

Several in the hunt for the men’s win

Defending Champion James Hunt (Cardiff Athletics) returns from injury and will look to retain his Senior Men’s title but will face opposition from seven-time champion Dewi Griffiths (Swansea Harriers) and in-form Cardiff Athletics club-mate Dan Nash.

Hunt’s first Welsh Cross Country title came in 2018 at Singleton Park with 2:09 marathoner Griffiths taking the honours in 2019.

A win on Saturday would signal a first Welsh title on the country for Nash who recently became a father and who in December improved his 10km P.B. to 29:25.

Guy Smith (Swansea Harriers) is predominantly a track performer but also has form off-track, finishing fifth at these Championships in 2019.

With Cardiff club mates Matt Edwards and Mike Kallenberg also performing well of late, the team from the Capital will be the favourites for the team title that they won emphatically in 2020.

Club honours here are unlikely to go anywhere other than to Swansea Harriers.

Local man Dafydd Jones (Carmarthen Harriers) will have gained confidence when finishing as the top Welsh scorer at the Northern Ireland International Cross Country in Belfast last month. This may give him the psychological edge over Cardiff duo Ben Miles and Lloyd Sheppard-Brown who will also be in action.

Moli Lyons (Cardiff Athletics) won the Welsh Schools Cross Championships in Brecon two weeks ago so will find herself amongst the favourites in Pembrey. Ellen Mary Kearny of Wirral AC will be racing on Saturday and is the younger sister of Welsh Marathon ace Emily.

Libby Hale (Swansea Harriers) and Bryony Boyce (Cardiff Athletics) will face-off in the U13 Girls Race. The former was the winner at the British Athletics Milton Keynes Cross Challenge and the pair both took victories in Brecon but in different age-groups on that occasion.

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It’s the eve of the last December’s European cross country championships in Dublin. Gjert Ingebrigtsen sat down with sports commentator Jann Post for a podcast entitled  ‘I det lange løp’ (‘In the long run’). What he had to say has important implications for our understanding of interval training.

Intensity

The coach of the terrific trio of Henrik, Filip and Jakob went on record as saying that, “I’m not that concerned if the intensity is too low, that’s more a discussion about speed, but you should definitely not have too high intensity in training because it affects the road forward and we have to make adjustments depending on recovery”.

Typical sessions undertaken by the three bothers have reportedly included 5 x 6 mins at threshold pace; 10 x 1km at threshold pace and 20 x 400m with 30s recovery.

Influence of Igloi

The above approach intuitively borrows from that of the great Hungarian Mihaly Igloi, who famously guided the American Bob Schul to the 5000m gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Igloi’s philosophy can be reconciled with that of another great coach. Arthur Lydiard, who espoused the dangers of over working the lactate energy system at inappropriate points of the periodisation cycle thus risking staleness, loss of form and ultimately injury.

The approach of Igloi was to group a relatively high volume of efforts into sets and to effect active modes of recovery during the recovery intervals.

The lactate shuttle

In the mid 1980s the physiologist G.A Brooks coined the term ‘lactate shuttle’.

This notion was used by Oregon based Peter Thompson to espouse the benefits of what he termed ‘lactate dynamics training’, for the mobilisation and clearance of lactate so that it could be utilised around the body as a productive energy source.

The above is inherent in the approach taken by Ingebrigtsen senior. The Norwegian coach recently explained that, “In the area we manoeuvre there’s always injury risk. We are willing to take risk, lots of risk, but we need to ensure that our training, in total, is sustainable so that the boys are able to have a livelihood from running over time.

Photo: European Athletics via Getty Images

Some athletes can run insanely fast with low lactate, but that isn’t always purposeful because you can’t directly translate that into winning races. Then it’s about finding the ‘good enough’-limit”.

The above doesn’t of course mean that the Ingebrigtsens don’t do some seriously hard speed endurance work in the Specific Preparation and Pre-competition phases of the training macrocycle especially.

It does however mean that when they are focused primarily on aerobic base building and strength endurance during the winter months they are likely to back off this type of work significantly.

Easy Interval Method

The sentiments expressed above by Ingebrigtsen have a far more modern application than the coaching practice of the aforementioned Igloi.

Klaas Lok’s ‘Easy Interval Method’ was successful in highlighting how, “fairly light exposure to highly anaerobic stresses proved a tremendously effective balance of stimulus’.

Himself indebted to the likes of Hermen Verheul and Woldemar Gerschler, Lok has argued that too much steady state aerobic running lacks the preservation of ‘reactivity’. Runners are effectively operating too slowly in bio-mechanical terms and they tend to be reinforcing incorrect motor patterns.

As well as warning of the dangers of too much one paced aerobic running on the one hand, Lok advocates the need to avoid too many intense interval sessions at or around V02 max, on the other. The Dutchman maintains that the Easy Interval Method allows the athlete to run at a range of aerobically dominant speeds by varying the tempo and adopting a multi-paced ethos, without the acidification of the muscles occurring.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen after winning a third consecutive under-20 men’s gold.

Are you going too fast?

The above is something which sits well with the philosophy of Gjert Ingebrigtsen, who has observed that, “I see people running overspeed in training, and I ask ‘Why are you doing this?’ and I get different answers.

Some say ‘because we can’, others say ‘because we think the athlete is capable of running faster than he has done in races so far’. ‘We think the athlete is capable of XX:XX’ is an answer I get often, especially in Norway for some reason.

They have a 1500m PB of 3:55 and then they run intervals as if they’re a 3:45 athlete, and I ask ‘Why are you doing this?’ to which they reply ‘Because I think I’m capable of 3:45.00’ – but they’re not, they’re still 3:55 runners and they don’t understand. That’s how it goes”.

The above leaves us with some questions for self-reflection:

1. At what point of the periodisation cycle do I need to be undertaking repetition training using fast efforts with passive recoveries, in order to stimulate my lactate energy system?
2. How might the use of intervals with an active mode of recovery help me control the intensity of the efforts being undertaken, thus keeping my work aerobically dominant during the aerobic and strength endurance phases of my training macrocycle?
3. Why should I be aware that there is a difference between a simple jog recovery in interval training and a more active ‘roll on’ recovery and how might the latter facilitate the lactate shuttle more effectively?
4. In what ways might the adoption of the kind of approach taken by the Ingebrigtsens help me to avoid injury and aid my long term development and retention within our sport?

Matt Long has served as both an England Team Manager and Coach and welcomes contact for coaching support at mattlongcoach@gmail.com

References

Chalfen, D. (2021) ‘Book Review. Easy Interval Method. Klaas Lok’. Fast Running. March 17^th.

Lok, K. (2019) Easy Interval Method. The Choir Press.

Long, M., James, G. and Karasz, Z. (2021a) ‘The training philosophy of Mihaly Igloi’. Fast Running. January 24^th.

Long, M., James, G. and Karasz, Z. (2021b) ‘Looking for Igloi in the 21^st Century’. Fast Running. January 26^th.

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A stunning team victory by the men’s U23 team proved the highlight of the European Cross Country Championships held at Abbotstown, just to the west of Dublin on Sunday (December 12) .

Leading the team home in a fighting second place was UCD student Darragh McElhinney from Glengarriff in Co Cork. On the final lap of the 8000m race, McElhinney had briefly led but he could not quite hold off the challenge of Britain’s Charles Hicks.

“Charlie made it hard. I did my best to stay with him,” said McElhinney after the race. “In the second lap I made the decision to sit back off him. Then in the second last lap, I said to myself if I put it a hard lap in here, it’s a medal guaranteed, so I ended up closing the gap on him, and we knew it would come down to a bit of a kick. I’m happy with second, but the fact that the team pulled it out of the bag, I’m over the moon. I’m buzzing.”

McElhinney was backed up by Keelan Kilrehill of Moy Valley AC, sixth, and Michael Power of West Waterford AC 13th, with Donal Devane of Ennis TC, Jamie Battle of Mullingar Harriers and Thomas Devaney of Castlebar AC making up the squad.

After they had collected their medals, the delighted team winners did a much interrupted lap of honour around the course stopping frequently for congratulations and photos.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

Laadjel shows maturity for U20s

On a great day for the host country, the U20 men took team silver, led by Abdel Laadjel of Donore Harriers, one of a number of athletes who had returned from the USA for the occasion.

Laadjel ran a smart race, catching his team mates Dean Casey of Ennis TC and 16-year-old Nick Griggs of Mid-Ulster AC on the final lap. With Casey finishing 13th and Griggs 16th, Ireland lost out on gold by a single point to the British team. Making up the squad were Scott Fagan of Metro St Brigid’s AC, Sean Fay of Clonliffe Harriers and Cathal O’Reilly of Kilkenny City Harriers.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

Of the women, Sarah Healy of UCD AC finished fifth in the U23 women’s race, having moved into second place at one point. With Danielle Donegan of UCD AC 31st, and Aoife O Cuill of St Coca’s AC 32, backed up by Lauren Tinkler and Jodie McCann, both of Dublin City Harriers AC, and Ruth Heery of Waterford AC, the team finished fifth.

“It was challenging,” said Healy, who at 20, still has two years left in this age category. “That hill down the bottom takes it out of you every time, but it was such a great atmosphere. I’m disappointed to not get a medal, but I just had nothing left at the end. Fifth place is still good.”

Best of the U20 women was Aoife McGreevy of UCD AC who finished 23rd. One place behind was Emma McEvoy of Dundrum South Dublin AC, who has only taking up running in the past year. With national champion Jane Buckley off Leevale AC 30th, the team finished eighth. Also running were Rebecca Rossiter of Loughview AC, Laura Mooney of Tullamore Harriers and Roise Roberts of North Belfast Harriers.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

Exciting senior racing for all, but especially Norway

In the senior races, Fionnuala McCormack of Kilcoole AC pushed hard from the start of the women’s 8000m, showing no signs of having run a marathon personal best time only a week earlier.

She finished ninth in a race won by Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, who was making it a senior double for Norway.

Next home for the Irish was Eilish Flanagan of Finn Valley AC 15th, followed by Aoibhe Richardson of Kilkenny City Harriers 23rd, Roisin Flanagan of Finn Valley AC 26th, Aoife Cooke of Eagle AC 35th and national champion Michelle Finn of Leevale AC 46th. The team finished fourth.

“It was always going to be tough to be up at the front but that’s where I wanted to be, it was great out there” said McCormack.
“The support was unbelievable. It’s amazing to run a race where you just hear everyone roaring at you. When everyone is shouting ‘Fionnuala’ at you, it’s nice. In Dublin twelve years ago, I had a really tough race. Today was tough but it was better.”

Photo: Lindie Naughton

Brian Fay of Raheny Shamrock AC, another athlete who had returned from the USA to compete, ran a tactical race to finish tenth in the senior men’s 10,000m race behind the Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway.

Irish champion Hiko Tonosa, of Dundrum South Dublin AC, who led the Irish challenge early on, finished 13th. He was followed by Cormac Dalton of Mullingar Harriers 28th; Dundrum South Dublin clubmates Emmett Jennings and Paul O’Donnell, 44th and 56th respectively, and Ryan Forsyth of Newcastle and District AC 58th. The team finished just four points behind Norway for fourth place.

“I was happy. I always felt like I had momentum, alhough on that last lap I was just gassed, I was spent. But with everyone cheering you on, I’m like I can’t let the team – or the country – down. So I gave it everything,” said Fay.

Mixed relays still an exiting new format

Ireland started well in the mixed 4 x 1500m relay, with Ciara Mageean of City of Lisburn AC handing over to UCD’s Luke McCann in first place.

McCann held on to that lead, but on the third leg, Britain’s speedy Alex Bell caught and passed Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner of Dundrum South Dublin AC. Despite his best efforts, Andrew Coscoran of Star of the Sea AC could not catch the final leg runners for France and Belgium, who were also ahead of Ireland at that stage. In a thrilling chase for the line, the team finished a close fourth.

While it didn’t match the four medal haul of Lisbon in 2019, it was a good day for the host nation. Let’s leave the final word to Fionnuala McCormack, who was running a record 17th time in a race she lovesd and has won it twice.“Overall the teams, the U23 lads earlier, the whole day, it was massive with the top five and top ten finishes. It was brilliant.”

Meanwhile elsewhere…

Elsewhere grass roots athletics continued with Stephen Connolly of Annadale Striders the winner of the men’s race at the Irwin Speirs Memorial Cross-Country, held at Cookstown on Saturday (December 11). Karen Alexander of Christian Runners UK AC won the women’s race.

On the roads, Seamus Fearon in 76 mins 35 secs and Ciara Wilson in 83:28 were the winners of the Ray D’Arcy Laura Lynn Half Marathon held in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, also on Saturday. Jamie Fallon and Ciara Forrester won the 6km race.

At the Cork BHAA Turkey Trot Handicap 3-Mile, in aid of Cork Simon, Enda Kiernan, Sheila Stokes and Ned Ramsell who came closest to their predicted time.

The post McElhinney leads Ireland to gold appeared first on Fast Running.

Senior women

Trials winners Jess Judd (Mick Judd, Blackburn Harriers) will be making her third appearance over the country after turning in a fast leg at Mansfield in the National Cross County Relays on 6th November. Runner up Jenny Nesbitt (Chris Jones, Cardiff) has run consistently strongly in all 3 British Athletics Cross Challenge races this year including runner up spots in both Cardiff and Milton Keynes.

Bronze medallist Abbie Donnelly (Rob Lewis, Lincoln Wellington) had a fine run both in the Mansfield based relays as well as a win over the country in Ireland at the Abbotstown Open Cross County race in mid October.

Jess Gibbon (Reading) won over the country in Milton Keynes and placed third in Cardiff, as well as having produced a performance in Liverpool which bodes well for Dublin.

Kate Avery (Shildon) took bronze in Milton Keynes and 6th in both Cardiff and Liverpool and will be delighted to have made the team, whilst Charlotte Arter (Chris Jones, Cardiff) still has to prove her fitness having not raced since a promising 2nd place in the Leeds Abbey Dash on 24th October.

Jack Rowe winning from Andy Butchart in Sefton Park. Photo: James Rhodes

Senior men

The men will be spearheaded by Jack Rowe (Tim Eglen, Aldershot Farnham and District) who won by 11 seconds over Andy Butchart (Barry Fudge, Central) in Liverpool last week. The Scot can boast victories in both the Scottish National Relay championships and Scottish National short course championships over the country this winter.

Jamie Crowe (Derek Easton, Central) was a further 11 seconds behind his yellow vested clubmate in Liverpool last week and has finished runner up to him in Perth and Lanark over the country this winter.

The confidence of William Battershill (Luke Gunn, Erme Valley) will be high after a sub 30 minute clocking and a victory in the Wilne 10k (29m54s) back in September. Stuart McCallum (Bud Baldaro, Winchester) ran strongly at the National 6 stage road relays in September, whilst Jake Smith (James Thie, Cardiff) impressed massively in placing a fine 4th in September’s Great North Run.

Under 23 women

On the womens side, Eleanor Bolton (Ribble Valley) placed 8th in Liverpool, whilst 12th placer Jemima Elgood (Andrew Henderson, Ilkley) has also turned in a promising 34m21s at the October Leeds Abbey Dash 10k.

7th placer Izzy Fry (Steve Vernon, Newbury) has turned in solid performances over the country all winter most notably at Cardiff and Mansfield, with trials 11th placer Cari Hughes (Andrew Walling, Cardiff) perhaps impressing most with a 6th placing at The Milton Keynes version of the British Cross Challenge.

Photo: Pete Brown

Taking 4th place in the trials was Amelia Quirk (Mick Woods, Bracknell) whose only other outing over the country this summer has been a win in the Midlands Womens League at Crewe.

10th place in the trials was Eloise Walker (Andy Young, Edinburgh) whose five outings over the country have included a fastest leg at the Scottish national relay championships.

Under 23 men

On the mens side, 16th in the trials was Sam Charlton (Helen Clitheroe, Wallsend), who has turned in a fine 29m17s at the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k.

Stanford University based Charles Hicks (Ricardo Santos, Shaftesbury Barnet) has raced no less than 9 times over the country in 2021 whilst Stateside, and likewise Oklahoma State based Rory Leonard (Morpeth) has been similarly prolific over the country but did return home to place 10th in Liverpool at the trials.

Photo: Pete Brown

15th placer in Liverpool was Zakariya Mahamed (Idris Hamud, Southampton), who has caught the eye earlier this year both in Milton Keynes (2nd) and Cardiff (4th).

Tom Mortimer (Chris McGeorge, Stroud & District) ran a fine 4th in Liverpool and has the benefit of overseas excursions over the country both in Ireland and the Netherlands earlier this winter. 12th place in Liverpool was Matthew Stonier (Peter Mullervy, Invicta East Kent) whose winter form builds on summer success and a fine 3000m win at the Loughborough International last summer.

U20s women

With regards to the ladies, Columbia University based Phoebe Anderson (Wayne Vinton, Herne Hill) placed 5th in the trials and has run well Stateside this winter in Boston and Princeton especially.

Alice Garner (Mick Woods, Aldershot, Farnham and District) placed 3rd in the trials and her selection follows a fine 4th over 5000m at the European junior championships this summer.

7th placer (2nd U17) in the trials was Ella Greenway (Joanna Louise Evans, Cleethorpes) who performed superbly on the track last summer in BMC races, including a win in the BMC Festival of Miles at the Linford Christie Stadium.

Megan Keith’s (Ross Cairns, Inverness) Liverpool win over second placer Jess Bailey (under 17) was no surprise given her previous victories in both Cardiff and Milton Keynes, whilst trials 6th placer Ellen Weir (Anne Hegvold, Hercules Wimbledon) has been solid in other British cross challenges thus far. 4th place in the trials was Beatrice Wood (Dave Amey, City of Salisbury AC) who won an English Schools Regional Cross Country race in Taunton in mid November.

U20 Men

The men can boast the presence of Hamish Armitt (Crawford Whyte, Giffnock North) who placed 4th in Liverpool on the back of a win at the British cross challenge in Milton Keynes.

2nd place at Liverpool was Will Barnicoat (Aldershot Farnham and District) who ran an eye catching leg at the National cross country relays in Mansfield earlier this winter.

5th placer in the trials Lewis Hannigan (Robert Hawkins, Kilbarchan) impressed by going sub 30 (29m36s) at October’s Leeds Abbey Dash. Trials winner Henry McLuckie (Geoff Watkin, Shaftesbury Barnet) has raced sparingly over the country this winter but did run extremely well at the Mansfield relays.

Osian Perrin (Andrew Walling, Menai) who placed 3rd in Milton Keynes has also raced sparingly over the country as has the aforementioned McLuckie, whilst Liam Rawlings’ (Colin Lancaster, Shrewsbury) 3rd placing in Liverpool was a follow up to his runners up spot in Milton Keynes.

Photo: Keith McClure

Senior Mixed Relays

Alex Bell (Andrew Henderson, Pudsey and Bramley) is fresh from her Tokyo Olympic 800m final, whilst Luke Duffy (Richard Massey, Mansfield) is a 3m42s 1500m man and a 4m06 miler.

Hannah Nuttall (John Nuttall, Charnwood) ran a fine 4m12s for 1500m at Stretford last summer and Benjamin West (Kyle Bennett, Milton Keynes Distance Project) ran a 4m02 mile at Birmingham University in July.

Matt Long has served as both an England Team Manager and Coach and welcomes contact at mattlongcoach@gmail.com for coaching support.

The post Dublin Bound appeared first on Fast Running.

Seventeen year old Rebecca Rossiter had a superb run at the trials held at Santry two weekends ago and was rewarded with a place on the ladies U20 team.

A week later and she was in action again at the Malcolm Cup cross country in Belfast. Shadowing the leader around the first two laps of the Senior ladies race, she then launched an amazing surge for home, winning by a huge margin.

The really incredible thing is that Rebecca only began running in 2019. She had been in a swimming club for seven years and also played netball at school. She still enjoys badminton.

Happiest on the track

As keen athletics fans in Northern Ireland will know, Rebecca also competes on the track. She had a great win back in August in the Athletics NI open meeting over 1,500m.

“1,500m on the track is my favorite event,” she says, “But I also enjoy other distances like 3,000m and this year I have really enjoyed cross country.”

Rebecca is a member of Loughview AC and she is coached by Andrew Han. She trains both on her own and in a group. “I love catching up with my running friends and just having a bit of fun,” she is happy to admit.

Photo: Matt Browne

It is nice to see how relaxed Rebecca is about her running and recent success. She is confident in her ability without putting pressure on herself.

“My aim is just to relax and enjoy my sport and to see where the hard work takes me.” she said. “One day I also would love to have the chance to go to the Commonwealth Games. I also want to keep chipping away at my 1,500m PB.” Rebecca’s current PB is 4:27 with her 800m time being 2:12.

Inspiration from the top of the game

Rebecca and her dad have loved watching the running career of Laura Muir develop and they found it an emotional experience seeing her getting the Olympic silver medal this summer.

Locally, Rebecca is a great admirer of Katie Kirk and rejoiced to see her break her 800m PB recently and set a Commonwealth Games consideration standard. They also share another common interest… Food and hospitality!

“I love cooking and baking and if I am not running you most likely will find me in my kitchen. I love baking for family/friends and love cooking my family surprise dinners.

My new love at the minute is making Dhals with homemade flat bread. I also like making lasagnas, pasta dishes, bread and pastries. Everyone around me knows that I LOVE pesto pasta with roasted pine nuts and mushrooms, peanut butter and toast with avocado along with a poached egg and smoked salmon (with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce – a must !!).

During every competition away from home I always bring a wee suply of peanut butter with me. I still haven’t seemed to get bored of it yet and love putting it on a bagel/rice cakes with a banana and a dash of cinnamon.”

Combining two loves

It is easy to see how sport and nutrition could well play a big part in her future plans. “I am not sure yet, but wouldn’t mind studying a career in teaching/food and nutrition for athletes. I would be keen to go to UCD (University College Dublin).”

2021 has been an amazing year for Rebecca so far and she would never have dreamed of such success when she began running just over two years ago.

What are her highlights? “Coming second in the UK school games in the 1,500m was such an achievement for me and also going to my first ever trip away from home with the Irish team to France to compete, again in the 1,500m. I also was happy with my first ever experience going to the London mini marathon and placing 5th which was a big eye-opening experience.”

Hopefully this will just be the beginning of something very special for Rebecca, with much more success to come. Watch out for her in the European Cross Country Championships in a few days’ time.

One more cake picture because… why not?

The post A young star shining bright appeared first on Fast Running.

As John Craig (Annadale Striders) crossed the line for Northern Ireland, to a rousing cheer, he was mobbed by his ecstatic kids who had earlier been seen accompanying their Dad on his warm-up.

It has been a stellar year for John. But where did he come from? Why is he setting four PBs in his third year as a veteran athlete?

Thankfully he took some out to answer a few questions put to him by Lee Maginnis. Enjoy the read.

Lee Maginnis: “When did you start competing?”

John Craig: “I was a late starter to running. I played rugby as a kid up until senior level for my hometown Ballynahinch. We won a couple of Northern Ireland championships and were runners up in an all Ireland championship.

A nasty cruciate ligament injury put a stop to my rugby career when I was 20. I wasn’t involved in sports much through my 20s, apart from a bit of indoor football here and there.

My wife and I had our first child and I was getting a bit on the chunky side, so when I was nearing 30, I decided to do a bit of running for general fitness and to lose weight. I started doing my local parkrun and noticed my times coming down every week, so I decided to join a running club as I had well and truly caught the bug, and the rest is history!”

LM: “Are you from a sporty family?”

JC: “My family have always enjoyed being active, and from a young age my parents got me into sports in general (probably to keep me out of mischief – which didn’t really work). They always supported me a lot in my sporting endeavours.

We always had an outdoor lifestyle, and I was blessed to go on some great holidays, where we did a lot of walking/hiking in places like the Lake District, Rocky Mountains etc. My parents also had my siblings and I climbing the Mournes regularly when we were kids. I always loved that, and I suppose unconsciously I was building a good base fitness from having a very active childhood!

My brother Aaron was a good hockey player and played alongside some top class Irish Internationals at my school Wellington College. They went on to win the all Ireland schools final. Being my big brother, he was always an influence on me, both in my sporting and musical interests.”

LM: “What are your best achievements to date?”

JC: “I would say my greatest achievements to date have been winning the Irish Masters 5000m championship in 2020, winning team gold medals with Annadale at the NI 5K road championships and NI road relay championships this year.

And more recently winning the NI Masters XC Championship, then winning the North vs South XC Challenge shortly after. I’m also happy to have posted some decent times on the track this year.

My 3000m PB (8.22) is the fastest M35 time in the UK in 2021, and my 5000m PB (14.25) is 5th fastest M35 in the UK (with Sir Mo Farah sitting on the top spot no less!).”

LM: “What is your favourite race?”

JC: “I would have to say the Seeley Cup 10K. It attracts the best runners in the country and is always super competitive. Every time I’ve competed in it, I’ve run big PBs (plus it was my first ever 10K), so I’ve got great memories of the race.

I’m very much looking forward to it this year, as the entry list is stacked with top quality runners. It’ll also be extra special, as it’s incorporating the NI 10k road championships.”

LM: “What do you put your success down to?”

JC: “I would say consistency and patience, as well as discipline and smart training. But even more than these things is my inherent love of the sport and hunger to succeed.

Last but not least is great coaching, mentorship and support through the years. Much credit has to go to my previous coach Keith Purdy and current coach Paul Lawther. Joining Annadale Striders last year marked a big improvement in my running. There’s a real culture of excellence at the club and we’re all about competing to win championships!

I have a very supportive wife and kids. Family life keeps me grounded and helps keep any ego at bay – I’m quickly brought back down to earth after any of my wins!”

Photo: Paul Lawther

LM: “What are your ambitions and targets?”

JC: “I would love the opportunity to represent NI & Ulster at senior level on the track, road and cross country. Individually I would like to win a few NI Senior titles and have a crack at some British masters titles. With my club Annadale Striders, we are hoping to win loads more team titles on the road and cross country!”

LM: “What are your PBs?”

JC: “3000m – 8.22
5000m – 14.25
3k road – 8.45
5k road – 14.42
10k road – 30.50
Half Marathon – 73.21
Marathon – 2.44.23”

LM: “Who is your coach?”

JC: “Paul Lawther (Annadale Striders). He’s a great coach and a local running legend. He was a top level International athlete when he was competing and used to mix it with the likes of Steve Ovett back in the day. His Northern Irish 3000m record (7.49.1) set in Oslo in 1978 still stands to this day!”

LM: “What is your favourite training session?”

JC: “Generally 3K – 5K pace speed work on the track (with a bit of mile pace stuff thrown in). I just love that zone where you’re moving fast round the track – working hard, but not forcing it too much. I like to jog recoveries and keep them fairly short. It keeps the session moving along in a nice momentum.”

LM: “Training – group or solo?”

JC: “Mostly solo for me. I sometimes like training with a group for certain sessions (mainly the very fast stuff with long recoveries pre track season), but I mostly like to get locked into my own pace/rhythm. I have no problem pushing myself as hard as I need to on my own. ”

LM: “What are your favourite foods?”

JC: “If we are talking favourite foods, I would have to say good quality Asian food – Malaysian, Thai or Indian (although I’m also partial to a big Ulster fry up!). I like to keep my diet fairly sensible throughout the week and eat a lot of fish (mostly mackerel), rice, vegetables, eggs, fruit, nuts etc. I enjoy healthy food, but don’t deprive myself of treats here and there!”

LM: “Do you have any other interests/sports?”

JC: “Aside from having fun days out with my wife and kids, I’m a huge music lover and have been DJing for almost 20 years.

I’ve played in venues all over Ireland and the UK and held down residencies at various venues. I also produce my own music and have had music released on a few established European labels.

I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from music production for the past couple of years to really focus on excelling as much as I can at running, but I still have all my studio gear and plan to get back at it!”

If you enjoy our Fast Running website then we highly recommend the book 1001 Running Tips by our editor Robbie Britton, found here.

The post V35 John Craig is just getting started appeared first on Fast Running.

The popular event in the Welsh Capital will again start the British Athletics Cross Challenge Series and will also feature in the prestigious and newly launched World Athletics Cross Country Tour. In addition the races will host the first fixture in the local John H Collins Gwent Cross Country League.

Welsh Athletics CEO James Williams commented on the prestigious World Athletics accolade saying; We are absolutely delighted that for the first time, the Cardiff Cross Challenge is part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, joining Northern Ireland as the only races in the United Kingdom on the tour’.

Arter defends title against strong opposition

Charlotte Arter was the winner of the women’s race when it was last held back in 2019. The Cardiff athlete will return to race over 6,400m along with the runner up, training partner Jenny Nesbit and 2014 European Cross Country Championships Silver medalist, Kate Avery.

Arter has prepared for the season opener with a Welsh record of 15:25 for 5km in Vienna while 2018 Inter-Counties Cross Country Champion Nesbitt has been fine tuning her winter preparations at altitude in Font Romeu.

Avery is also no stranger to Cardiff having finished second to Anna Moller in 2018 and ahead of Olympian Jess Judd on that occasion.

Izzy Fry is another athlete choosing to start their winter campaign in the Welsh Capital and has previously finished as the runner up at the English National and at the Liverpool Cross Challenge. .

Jess Gibbon was fourth in Cardiff last time, improving to second at the season finale in Loughborough and along with former Inter-Counties Champion Cari Hughes, Scottish athlete Mhairi Maclennan, Aldershot’s Philippa Bowden, Hannah Irwin and Imogen Wood will add further class to a strong women’s field.

Smith takes to the country

The men’s race will be just as classy with Jake Smith hoping to turn his road running pedigree as the UK’s third fastest in history over half marathon to cross country form over 9,400m in order to overcome the challenge from Ethiopia’s Omar Ahmed and Kadar Omar, from Tokyo Olympian Zak Seddon and from Swansea man Dewi Griffiths.

Smith is thought to be in great shape following a win at the Vitality Big Half in late August and a fourth place finish at the Great North Run in September. Griffiths is returning to fitness gradually but is a formidable Cross County performer with seven Welsh titles and a UK Inter-Counties title to his credit.

Hugo Milner led his Derby AC team home, ahead of the competition on the first leg of the ERRA National Autumn Road Relays last weekend and has a 28:36 best for 10,000m. Jack Gray is also a sub 29 minute performer and will lead a strong Cambridge & Coleridge contingent.

Zakariya Mahamed won the English National Championships in Nottingham last March as an U20 but will debut in the senior men’s category in Cardiff. Jordan Rowe and James Hunt will also be hoping to feature with the latter returning to fitness with regular racing.

Strong junior fields

Megan Keith will be a strong favourite in the U20 Women’s race, competing here as the current Uk Inter-Counties Champion and the overall Cross Challenge Series winner from 2019 / 2020. Alice Garner joined Keith in the team for the European Championships in Tallin this Summer and will be one of the most likely to provide competition for her on Saturday.

Flynn Jennings stormed to victory in the U17 race in his last Cardiff outing and will compete in the U20 men’s race this time. Hamish Reilly was on the podium in Loughborough in March 2020 in the U17 Men’s race and like Jennings, will compete over 6,400m instead this time.

Osian Perrin will carry Welsh hopes after claiming a first Great Britain & Northern Ireland vest in the summer, finishing fifth at the European U20 Championships in Estonia and ending the season at the top of the UK rankings over 5,000m.

Action in Cardiff starts at 11:30 and culminates with the Senior Men’s race at 14:50.

The post Cardiff Cross Challenge Preview appeared first on Fast Running.

Following the successful and graceful cooperation of all parties including the respective Local Organising Committees, the SPAR European Cross Country Championships will now be held in Fingal-Dublin in 2021 and in Torino-La Mandria Park in 2022.

Fingal-Dublin was due to host next month’s event on 13 December but the event was cancelled in 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Having previously staged the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in 2009, the event will now take place in the Irish capital for the second time in 2021 at the Sport Ireland Campus on the outskirts of Dublin on 12 December.

Pushed back a year

Initially awarded the 2021 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, Torino-La Mandria Park will now host the 2022 edition.

European Athletics Interim President Dobromir Karamarinov said: “Unfortunately, Dublin was unable to host this year’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships this year but we would like to thank Torino-La Mandria for their cooperation to allow Dublin to stage next year’s event.

“Ireland and Italy both have a rich tradition in staging not only continental but also global cross country events so we are naturally delighted to reallocate the next two editions of the championships to two proud and passionate cross country running nations.”

Liam Hennessy, Chairman of the Fingal-Dublin 2021 Local Organising Committee, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the SPAR European Cross Country Championships for 2021 and we would like to thank European Athletics and FIDAL for their support in facilitating the event returning to Ireland next year.

“Covid-19 had resulted in the championships which were set to take place in Fingal, Dublin next month being cancelled, but we can now look forward to working with Fingal County Council, Sport Ireland and RTÉ to ensure the 2021 SPAR European Cross Country Championships scheduled for 12 December is a memorable occasion for both athletes and spectators.”

Efrem Gidey excelling Photo: Michael Hynes of Raheny Shamrock

Difficult times across Europe

Maurizio Damilano, who is part of the Promotion Committee for the Torino-La Mandria 2022 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, said: “Together with the Piemonte Region and FIDAL, we have immediately accepted in the spirit of collaboration the request of European Athletics and the Dublin LOC to postpone our SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Torino-La Mandria Park to 2022

“In this difficult time throughout Europe, it seems important to us – with the sporting spirit that has always characterised Italian Athletics – to show our availability towards European Athletics and our friends in Dublin. We fully understand the efforts of those who continue working with great dedication for the support and growth of European Athletics.”

Italy will become the first country to have staged the SPAR European Cross Country Championships on four occasions after previous editions in Ferrara in 1998, San Giorgio su Legnano in 2006 and Chia in 2016.

The 2022 SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be held at the La Mandria Park, the second largest enclosed park in Europe. All seven races are due to finish in the courtyard of the La Mandria Castle.

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The post Dublin & Torino still to host Euro Cross Champs appeared first on Fast Running.

Simon Prior and John Downes, established members of the British endurance community, have taken it upon themselves “to raise money for the UK County Athletics Union (UKCAU) to support the survival of Inter-Counties Cross Country”.

Some might say that cross country running is the epitome of British club running. Is there anything better than getting seriously muddy with your club mates in a pair of short shorts, club vest and spikes?

The Inter-Counties has, for 95 years, seen the best of each county selected to wear the vest with pride. The competition levels may have gone up and down over the decades, but it still brings a force of British cross country running together. There is even World Cross trials at the event.

The fundraising

John Downes, an outspoken critic of the British sporting governance, says “I had a gut feeling something was up. It was simply asking the question “is the inter-counties in trouble? that brought the situation to a head”

“Every complains about how it can be better run, but we just want to save it,” says former XC international Downes. This is refreshing to hear as there can often be a lot of noise on social media these days, without any productive action. We need to stand up and support the events we love.

Downes continues that “I think the Inter-Counties is a great event and it should be kept. No just for us, but for the younger generations. It’s the 15, 16, 17 year olds, as well as the current crop, who make those leaps forward at events like this.”

The UKCAU said in their own AGM notes that “owing to the financial position of the UKCAU, we are currently unable to put on our own Inter County events.”

They continue that “in view of this, and the current non-availability of independent funding/sponsorship, is it time to consider if the UKCAU has a future or if it should be disbanded”.

Photo: Stephen Lee

The importance of inter-county competition

That first county vest can be a proud moment for a junior, but also a stepping stone to greatness. It’s that moment they realise that they have the ability to succeed in a very tough sport.

The inter-counties itself might also be a realisation of the work still needed to be done. That stand-out junior from Cornwall who has beaten all the local talent has another tough race on their hands and it provides the impetus to keep working harder for years to come.

We might see young rivalries blossom or the club running stars that Fast Running love, such as Adam Hickey, Jenny Nesbitt, Mohamed Mohamed, Emily Hosker-Thornhill and so many more. It’s often the culmination of a great cross country season and one last hurrah in the mud.

The champs have also been a progressive force in equalising distances across genders with senior men and women both running 10km, just as the Scottish National Champs have.

What can you do?

The obvious thing is to chip in to the fundraising efforts and this can be done here. But what else is there beyond just financial support? We should get our running communities talking about this, our club mates, our friends.

The importance of the Inter-Counties may have gone up and down over it’s near century of history, but we should all still be proud if given the chance to represent our county. At a club level we can make sure that our junior and senior athletes recognise the value in these championships.

Raising the funds to support for one year will help, but letting UKA and England Athletics know just how much we, as a sport, value the Inter-Counties Cross Country Champs is just as important, maybe even more so.

So today we ask you to support the fundraising campaign but also to share this post and, if possible, your favourite inter-counties memory yourself. If you have run or supported the event over the years, or just enjoyed watching from afar, let us and the world know.

The target of £10,000 has been set to support the UK County Athletics Union, who spend about £35,000 each year to host the champs. To make a donation click here, but also share the link and tell your club mates too. 

The post The Inter-Counties needs your help appeared first on Fast Running.