National Cross Country- Sunderland

they're a bunch of wimps!

Frank has done more than enough this season to get to doubth his credentials as national champ. To win by 40secs in those conditions is a great effort.

Well done Frank for a great season. I hope you can turn it into a good track season and I'm sure you are too! All the best for the next stage in your career.

I'm sure given the chance and right race this summer Tickner will go a fair bit under 14 minutes.

What are your aims for the summer Mr Tickner? 5km,10km,Steeplechase.

Also any insight to your training? Weekly mileage, key sessions etc.

Big up my scouse boys!! Won the junior team race eeeaasy!

And didn't the unfancied Bedford guys do well! And yet again Huw Lobb proves that he deserves to be noticed!

Congrats to Leeds, commiserations to Notts. Can't be easy missing a medal by 3 points, but we know what its like, we've had plenty of 4ths in recent years.

But a pretty awsome performance by Leeds, 36 secs covered their whole scoring 6! I'm thinking of tying my best 6 together so they can pack like that. Trouble is it'll probably have to be with very long bits of elastic! Never mind, roll on next year. I believe the course is a bit of a Roller Coaster!!! Ha Ha its at Alton Towers!!

Well done to organisers, course was great. But next time can we have more places to get food & drinks.

Now who's going to start the 12 Stage thread?

I watched all of the races in what felt like gusting gale winds and was massively impressed by the ease at which Frank tickner seemed to be moving. Looks may deceive but he powered through the wind as though he was running a tempo run instead of racing the Nationals.

It was not his fault that many of the 'stars' were missing: just a pity that the National isn't the draw it once was as the race could have been a great spectacle. On this form he would have been up there with them all.

Good luck for the rest of the year.

He's already beaten them all several times this season. (Apart from Mo)

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear wrote:

number of finishers in senior men's race

1998 Leeds 1666

1999 Newark 1554

2000 Stowe 1419

2001 Durham 1228

2002 Bristol 1220

2003 London 1258

2004 Leeds 1399

2005 Birminginham 1316

2006 London 1288

2007 Sunderland 916

number of finishers senior women

1998 Leeds 483

1999 Newark 477

2000 Stowe 398

2001 Durham 336

2002 Bristol 384

2003 London 398

2004 Leeds 454

2005 Birminginham 451

2006 London 444

2007 Sunderland 297

He beat Thommo convincingly in the Trials at Liverpool but the situation was reversed in the Europeans, when it counted. Since then Thommo has beeen ill/injured.

It is true that FWT has dominated in domestic competition this winter but he is far from our best athlete. No disgrace in that, but we should just keep it in perspective.

Quick skim of senior mens results shows that of the teams from 35th to 72nd only 3 were southern and large majority of rest were northern. Wonder if ECCA has date of birth data in seniors as would be revealing to know how many of the guys from say 51st downwards were under 30. divide that by 10 and you get info on how many, say, 22 year olds or 24 year olds in the whole of England chose to run in the haloed National.

My own club placed in the Top 1/2 teams with an entirely V40 team of whom 1 or 2 may just about be in sub 35 10k shape. No doubt at the sharp end guys will make the journey, or if they don't it's mainly for athletic rather than 'apathy' reasons.

However, there are plenty of decent level, hard training runners who won't travel so far for the National- that's not in itself a weakness in their comitment to the sport I don't think, more about their commitment to the National XC as an event to give up most of the weekend for. If there were easy answers someone would have got them sorted by now, and if the position can be turned around it'll take years to see a major reversal from current trends.

Its the home of the national for the horses, bring it to liverpool for the runners!!! Sefton Park

True. I totally forgot about Thommo. Funny how easy it is to forget someone when they're out of the limelight for a while (my excuse is I'm getting old and memory is going). Anyone know if he's on the road back to fitness?

Any word on why pete riley did not run?

Bad shins. Hopefull a few days off sorted it for him. Wouldn't have been worth him risking running on an injury with London coming up.

But, there were over 6000 in total at the Fleet and the Hastings Half Marathon. Thats what the XC runners are doing now: all training for the London Marathon

I agree, the talent is very poor at the top. Frank Tickner would struggle to make the top 15 of the NCAA champs

Frank would not struggle to make top 15 in the NCAA, why on earth is frank being included in lack of talent statements, he destroyed everyone, including a 2:15 marathon runnner.

Ok its fairly safe to assume he wouldnt have won the world cross this year (although i heard bekele was a little scared) but give hime a chance to prove what he can do on the track this season. If nothing he still spanked all of you on this board so who are you to criticise the talent.

fmr rnr wrote:

I agree, the talent is very poor at the top. Frank Tickner would struggle to make the top 15 of the NCAA champs

I don't think so. Gav Thompson came third at the NCAA's to Ritz and Hall a few years back and he's no better than Tickner. In fact Frank has beaten Gavin twice this winter in high profile races. And Gavin has been in good shape.

Martin Fagan made top 10 (didn't he?) at NCAA's and then made top 30 at the Europeans. Alister Cragg did the same. So correct me if i'm wrong but Tickner also made the top 30 at the Euro's, thus would be expected to make top 15 at NCAA's.

I'm assuming he will get the chance to do the euro 10k challenge thing after sweeping the board domestically this winter so we will soon know how fast he can run on the track when he gets towed round. Mid 28 is my guess.