Quote of the day: "the future comes one day at a time" - Dean Acheson
Team Australia has arrived safely in Kenya ahead of Saturday’s anticipated IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Headed by Martin Dent (pictured), a veteran of three World Cross Country Championships, and Victoria Mitchell, recently selected to the World Championships Osaka squad, 18 athletes and four officials have made the trip to Mombasa to compete again the world’s very best over the senior distances of 12km (men) and 8km (women).
Looking for some extra edge is 18 year-old Ben Guest (NSW) who has spent the last three weeks in Kenya’s Rift Valley, training with locals at high altitude.
Guest will lead the junior men’s brigade over the 8km course with the junior women representatives to compete over 6km.
Feedback from the travelling party ahead of the 35th edition of the meet has revealed that grandstands and other infrastructure are still being erected and that conditions are less than accommodating at 39 degrees and close to 100 percent humidity.
With the only obstacles some golf bunkers, the course assessment is “flat and very quick” though there have been minimal opportunities for the Australian team to adequately prepare since arriving on Monday.
Athletics Australia’s National Events Coach - Distance Tim O’Shaughnessy, who has accompanied the contingent to Mombasa, said while the destination had been a “culture shock” for the Australians the team was looking forward to the task at hand.
2003 World Cross Country champion Benita Johnson was Australia’s best performer at last year’s meet, claiming fourth place in both the long course (98 finishers) and short course (91 finishers) races to lead the country to a bronze medal in the teams event.
This year Johnson has chosen to dedicate her efforts to the London Marathon.
-from Athletics Australia
Summer Series final race – Acton 5k
Women
10. Maria O'Reilly W50 21:15
32. Ruth Baussmann W55 26:07
33. Thea Zimpel 26:15 (23.04 + late start)
36. Carolyne Kramar W40 27:22
57 finishers
Men
27. Mick Horan M45 18:54
35. Richard Faulks M45 19:20
43. David Webster M55 20:10
63. Bob Harlow M55 22:09
77. Neil Boden M55 23:30
79. David Baussmann M55 23:42
85. Geoff Barker M60 24:42
97 finishers
Team Australia has arrived safely in Kenya ahead of Saturday’s anticipated IAAF World Cross Country Championships.Headed by Martin Dent (pictured), a veteran of three World Cross Country Championships, and Victoria Mitchell, recently selected to the World Championships Osaka squad, 18 athletes and four officials have made the trip to Mombasa to compete again the world’s very best over the senior distances of 12km (men) and 8km (women).
Looking for some extra edge is 18 year-old Ben Guest (NSW) who has spent the last three weeks in Kenya’s Rift Valley, training with locals at high altitude.
Guest will lead the junior men’s brigade over the 8km course with the junior women representatives to compete over 6km.
Feedback from the travelling party ahead of the 35th edition of the meet has revealed that grandstands and other infrastructure are still being erected and that conditions are less than accommodating at 39 degrees and close to 100 percent humidity.
With the only obstacles some golf bunkers, the course assessment is “flat and very quick” though there have been minimal opportunities for the Australian team to adequately prepare since arriving on Monday.
Athletics Australia’s National Events Coach - Distance Tim O’Shaughnessy, who has accompanied the contingent to Mombasa, said while the destination had been a “culture shock” for the Australians the team was looking forward to the task at hand.
2003 World Cross Country champion Benita Johnson was Australia’s best performer at last year’s meet, claiming fourth place in both the long course (98 finishers) and short course (91 finishers) races to lead the country to a bronze medal in the teams event.
This year Johnson has chosen to dedicate her efforts to the London Marathon.
-from Athletics Australia
Summer Series final race – Acton 5k
Women
10. Maria O'Reilly W50 21:15
32. Ruth Baussmann W55 26:07
33. Thea Zimpel 26:15 (23.04 + late start)
36. Carolyne Kramar W40 27:22
57 finishers
Men
27. Mick Horan M45 18:54
35. Richard Faulks M45 19:20
43. David Webster M55 20:10
63. Bob Harlow M55 22:09
77. Neil Boden M55 23:30
79. David Baussmann M55 23:42
85. Geoff Barker M60 24:42
97 finishers
