Elite Distance Runners Ready to Test out Stromlo Course
In just under three weeks time, Australia’s best junior and senior distance runners will be heading to Canberra, ready to battle it out to gain selection to the Australian Team to contest the 36th World Cross Country Championships.
On Saturday 8 March 2008, the Athletics Australia (AA) Selection Trials for the World Cross Country Championships (Selection Trials) will be held at the recently opened Robert de Castella Cross Country Running Track (Deek’s Track) at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra. This will be the first major national running event to be held at Stromlo Forest Park. The 36th World Cross Country Championships will be held on 29 March 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Further details of the World Cross Country Championships can be found at: http://www.iaaf.org/WXC08/index.html
The purposely designed groomed grass running track comprises a 2.5 km loop that can be reduced to 2km, 1.5km or 1km and provides a world-class benchmark for Australia’s elite and developing runners and school students. For the Selection Trials, multiple laps of the 2km loop (Creek Loop) will be used. A recent visit by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) official, Mr Imre Matarahzi highly commended on the Stromlo Forest Park facility stating:
“It’s really great that something is built especially for cross country because I think that in the world there are very few purpose-built cross country facilities,” Matrahazi said of Stromlo, which was devastated by fires in 2003. “They are using existing facilities for (these) purposes, especially hippodromes.
“It’s nice and I can imagine it will be much nicer in four or five years when the newly-planted trees will grow. The whole setting’s closeness to Canberra is very convenient and, as I heard, there are future plans for the building of an accommodation facility, a hotel, on the premises or nearby.
“It’s not yet finished but a lot of work has been done already and it’s good that they have a lot of things in the plans for the future.”
Further details regarding Stromlo Forest Park can be found at: http://www.stromloforestpark.com.au/
The Selection Trials will be a twilight event that is poised to provide competitors with cooler conditions. The program of events are: 6:00pm Under 20 Girls – 3 x 2km (6km) 6:10pm Under 20 Boys – 4 x 2km (8km) 6:35pm Senior Women – 4 x 2km (8km) 6:45pm Senior Men – 6 x 2km (12km)
Entries for the Selection Trials have been opened since 4 February 2008 via the Athletics Australia online entry system. Entries close at midnight 3 March 2008. Interest in the Selection Trials with the elite distance runners have been great with already 70 athletes entered. All races so far look very competitive. Here is an overview of the fields as of 18 February 2008:
Under 20 Girls Australia’s top junior girls will be going head to head to for positions on the Australian Cross Country Team. NSW athlete, 2007 Australian Cross Country Champion and 2007/08 NSW 10,000m Champion Hollie Emery will be one of the favourites. Victorian 5000m runner up and 2007 World Youth 2000m steeplechase representative Elise Clayton has to be also one of the favourites. Jessica Gilfillan, also a steeplechase specialist, will be hot on their heels. World Junior Mountain Runner bronze medallist, Veronica Wallington, will try and hold her own a more flatter course that what she is use to. To round out the top junior girls, local ACT runner from the Weston Creek Athletics Club, Emily Brichacek is looking forward to the challenge of racing Australia's best Junior Cross Country athletes as they all vie for selection in the Australian team.
Under 20 Boys The clear favourite for the junior boy’s race would be outstanding NSW junior Ryan Gregson. In November and December 2007, Gregson managed to re-write the Australian record books in the Under 18 1500m (3:43.84), Under 18 and Under 20 3000m (8:01.26) and the Under 18 5000m (14:14.35). Gregson also won the 2007 Under 18 Australian Cross Country Championships. Victorian Matthew Bayley will not be far behind.
Senior Women Probably one of the most competitive and high class cross country fields for a while would have to be the senior women’s race with former and current world champions, Olympic and World Championship representative, Ediken relay representatives and young girls who have just moved up from the junior ranks to seniors. Olympic, World Championship and 2005/2006 World Cross Country representative Eloise Wellings is on her comeback after a injury prone 2007. 2007 World Half Marathon representative and 2006/2007 World Cross Country Representative Lisa Jane Weightman will be tough to beat along with 2007 Australian 10000m champion NSW’s Melinda Vernon. Lara Tamsett, current World Junior Mountain Champion and World Cross Country junior representative for the previous two years, has just moved up to the senior rank and has been very impressive this season on the track. Tamsett also won at the Robert de Castella Cross Country Running Track course opening last November. Victorians Victoria Mitchell (world cross country team member for the last 2 years) and Sarah Lofts, ACT’s Sarah McRae (nee Salmon), cross country team member in 2007, and SA’s Tara Palm will also be up there pushing for the top places. Other ACT hopes, former World Triathlon Champion, Jackie Fairweather may find it tough against the speedy younger girls, but her experience and determination will give her an advantage.
Senior Men The final event is the senior men’s race. There are still a number of senior men who have represented Australia before in the World Cross Country that would be expected to run the trials and have not entered as yet. The field as it stands is wide open and 2007 Australian Cross Country Champion Jeffery Hunt and runner up Ben St Lawrence, both from NSW, will be tough over the distance in attempting to make their first senior World Cross Country team. QLD Triathlete Courtney Atkinson, Victorians Liam Adams (cross country team member in 2007), Shane Nankervis, and Clint Perrett, ACT’s Erwin McRae (Ekiden relay representative)and Scott McTaggart (World Mountain Running representative), and NSW Russell Dessaix-Chin (cross country team member in 2006), are all experienced athletes and will be very tough.
This will be a great opportunity for the running community to witness the best runners in Australia toughing it out in a spectator friendly course. Further details of the Selection Trials can be found at: http://www.athletics.com.au/community/events/selection_trials_08
Scotty Imhoff Chair of Athletics ACT Local Organising Committee 2008 World Cross Country Selection Trials Email: scotty78@homemail.com.au Mobile: 0403 185 304
