For all those taking part in the inaugural London International Cross Country on January 20th, there was a real sense that the event was indeed the start of something very special.
As any budding athletics historian will tell you, Pathet newsreels from the 1960s often showed great races taking place in central London's Parliament Hill Fields, considered by many to be the home of cross-country running. will be done. The likes of former 10 mile world record holder Mel Batty have raced for glory over the demanding hill and, of course, in 1981 Shaftesbury's Julian Goater won by two minutes. However, this is still the largest margin of victory in history.
This year's event, which organizer Eamonn Martin has dubbed its “first year”, was as dramatic as the black-and-white film clips of the British giants facing off.
“It was a great start,” says Eamonn. “There are things we can improve on and we have some runners we can bring in to test further, but I think it was almost perfect for the first year.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, Martin, who was mentored by Batty, the old newsreel star you can find on YouTube, had a clear plan. He wanted to focus on race. And he wanted to give it a modern twist. There will be beer tents for the fans, as well as a fan tent that the runners ran through after each of his 2km laps, and a large screen showing all the action so everyone knows exactly what's going on. A screen has been installed. Locals stopped to watch what was going on, and if rumors are to be believed, pop sensation stars One Direction also stopped on their way home from a morning swim to see what was going on. confirmed.
Tom Evans, second in the men's race, said: “It was great to see so many people watching.” “It really helped make the day so memorable.”
And there was plenty of action to see. In addition to the men's and women's races, there will also be U20 events for men and women, University Trials for World Student Cross Country, Home Internationals (dominated by England's strongest teams) and competitions with spots for the World Cross Country Championships. Ta. It will be held in Belgrade in late March. This included inter-area matches and a series of competitive generational races. The first year was certainly action-packed and delivered all the accolades a winter runner could want.
A Nike spokesperson said: “This is a great start and everyone will learn from it.” “It’s a lot like how the 10,000m PB night (held on the track at Parliament Hill Fields, a stone’s throw from the course) has grown. It gave us a great platform to do that.”
London Parks authorities were also excited to see such high level racing, which is very much in keeping with the heritage and history of the Heath, where the event has been held for over 100 years.
That excitement was shared by former 10,000m world record holder Dave Bedford. He once won the Southern Senior and Junior races on the same day at this very venue, with just a 20-minute break in between.
“Often you don't get to see how the race unfolds, but here you can. This is a real step in the right direction,” he says.
dave bedford
“This is the best course in Britain,” Goater says, perhaps not surprising given that he scored his biggest domestic win of all time on the very same hill.
“It’s a fair course all round. You have to figure out how to deal with the ups and downs, but it was great to see it start in the traditional spot in front of the lido. Charging first on the slopes “This year's race has put cross-country in a good light,” he says. “I really hope this grows over the next few years.”
julian goater
Martin has some great plans for the event going forward and invitations to overseas teams are certainly high on his agenda. Part of the reason for this is due to the undoubted credibility that top foreign names lend to the event, but he also won the Lord Mayor's Tour of London during London vs. Paris vs. Berlin one year. I also remember participating in parade races and enjoying the large number of spectators. With proper planning, you can expect similar results in this race.
While it's good to hear from legends like 1984 Olympic silver medalist Wendy Sly and cross-country running legend Dave Clark, who won three national championships in the 1980s, it's important to note that today's runners It was also really inspiring to hear how much you love these shoes. courses and events. Jess Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley), third place in the U20 women's race and world mountain running silver medalist, loved the course and couldn't praise Martin enough for creating the event.
“Eamonn is taking this event in the right direction,” she enthused. “It was completely different than anywhere else in the country.”
“And it's great to see racing again on Parliament Hill,” says England Women's Team Manager Sue Lamb. “Everyone was so excited beforehand.”
“That's what I want,” Martin says. “We need to make sports exciting and relevant.”
That's a view that people like Clark and Goater couldn't agree with more. Cross country needs trials races like Parliament Hill to bring out the best in athletes and “get them ready to compete on the world stage,” Goater said. “A tough race like this is a great way to get ready to compete against Africans or Americans or whoever.”
“This is a time to step back, reflect on what happened and learn from it,” Martin says. “But it was great to be able to see interviews with medalists from all age groups. Everything I was doing came true.”