I'm not sure why anyone is questioning Frank. What more could he have done to prove himself this winter? He's won everything. Let's wait to see what he does on the track/road. But he's dominated the domestic XC season. That alone desrves respect. If he goes out, drinks beer and runs 35min that has no bearing on what he has achieved this winter.
Why do so many people think the national has to be in their backyard? For sure it has to be accessible but its the National champs. It could be anywhere in the country. As someone else has said you have to question the commitment level/fitness of anyone thinking 'That looks a long way, I won't bother.' If you've trained like a dog all winter is an extra couple of hours journey going to keep you away?
The sport is very badly marketed. That's one reason so few people run competitively in general or specifically run the national.
But there is also another major (and related) issue which is having a massive impact on the sport. Too many people are feeling alienated by, and/or antagonistic towards, the governing bodies both regional and national. One way this affects the sport is that many running clubs place far higher value on events organised locally by people they know and like than on events organised by seemingly remote and often despised governing bodies. Back when I was a lad you did the local race and wanted to progress to doing well at the regional and then national events. That is no longer the case as the sport is so divided. The sense of alienation or antagonism is very strong in many places. These clubs don't have minibus loads of runners at the national anymore. Unless this issue is sorted the sport is going to fall apart.
Has to be said - Leeds were phenomenal again. To have a squad of guys who consistently perform that well and pack so close at the front end is awesome. How do you do it?