My belief: Any US long-distance pros that don't go to 2023 World XC in Australia should have their pro cards stripped

I think you are overestimating the significance of cross country. Most people prefer track. After college, cross country is a side show.

Also, coming from a Northern winter to an Aussie summer to compete, good luck with that.

This is mostly true. In addition, both indoor and road running have become far more important in winter in the last 35 years. And some people are just not as good in cross country, even if it's basically a grass track with a few hills, not a "technical" course.

And World XC has become a bit boring. Last time 25/27 medals were taken by Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda (and the two others were Japan in junior women's team and Morocco in the mixed relay, hardly the core races of the event). It's very easy to understand that people don't want to disrupt their indoor season or their prep for summer for getting 20th or 40th with a small chance for team bronze.

Even the chances for the top 15 that would be 10000m WC qualifier are quite slim. Last time the first non-African man was a Spaniard with an Arabic sounding name (Oumaiz) on 20. Even the Kenyan born Americans were only 33+34, the first white man was 30th (Robinson). In the women's race, there were three caucasian women at 15,18, 20, so one would have got the qualifier. Sure, they weren't even the best track runners; Grovdal or Koko or some others might have a shot at a top 6 or even a medal, if they prioritized the event. But one can rarely tell in XC, the American women (Schweizer, Hall, Frerichs, Quigley) totally failed in Aarhus. So I am not surprised there are few interested in going to Bathurst.

Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer, Alicia Monson and *Emily Sission* 2021 US 10k champ ad marathon American record holder. If she doesn't go she loses her pro card!

There is no reason for good athletes not to support this meet. US pros are pretty thin skinned though

Now, if we could have an artificially terrible course… bring some hoses out and make it a mud fest..then I think we could compete.

Wet conditions are the great equalizer (Ritz, Teg, Desi, Yuki, etc)

Also, the USA men podiumed last time it was wet and Ben True got 6th.

This is true up to the last sentence. I agree it's a bad venue but I think that if the meet was held in Europe and was marketed right it could be an important meet again.

The would require MONEY- for the athletes- very deep individual money and team money and money to sell the event in a venue that lends itself to spectators as well as TV.

Have incentives for the best runners to go and flood the marketplace with publicity.

Yes- most kids and parents love XC more than track.

But, they typically have no idea that there even is a world championship.

I do remember when it was a big event and was even on network TV a couple times.

YouTube 1983 World Cross and 1984(?) when it was in the Meadowlands.

Just to see how it COULD be, watch the 1979, 80,81,82 races back when Virgin and Treacy were winning.

Look at results from the 70's when Walker and Rogers ran. Milers to marathoners.

Strip their pro cards if they don't do what you want????

Someday, journalists will recognize that they can just put out opinions on what people should do, or might be better off doing, etc. etc., but that the opinion can end there. It doesn't have to be, here's what I think and there should be consequences for not following it. Don't be absurd.

My belief: Any US journalist that trolls their own website should have their credentials stripped.

Do you people not understand metaphors? Not everything is to be taken literally, and you don't have to parse every post word for word. We could have skipped about 30 posts on this thread and actually had a good conversation about the important subject that was brought up. But pedantic dunces have to hijack every conversation here.

It looks like it is also the coaches who are overprotective of the runners. I would like to see some statistics on that, whether more than three big races a year hurts a top level runner. I suspect that more high level racing would have untold advantages that the coaches don't figure into their equations.

Going to World XC could give runners confidence, teach them teamwork and leadership, get them into a new rhythm ... basically prepare them for a future breakout. So what if it interrupts their training for a couple of weeks, the experience could easily spur bigger gains on the other side.

Runners and coaches should focus on the worldwide sport, not just our small corner of the world. So what if you beat your rival from the next state, it doesn't prepare you to take on the world.

rojo, I'm not seeing any USA XC results for you. Can you share how many times in your career you lined up and raced USA XC to attempt and qualify for a World Team? Or are you being hypocritical?

worldathletics.org

Robert JOHNSON | Profile | World Athletics

Link:worldathletics.org/athletes/united-sta...

That has nothing to do with the conversation here. Why do so many people look to score some imaginary conversation point? You are not adding to the conversation.

So we agree that racing 12K in Australia hurts one’s ability to be fully prepared for track season. Got it.

The only Americans who have valued the opportunity to represent the US at World XC are, for the most part, the Americans who are castigated on these boards as not real Americans.

Aarhus:

Mixed Relay: (order of relay) Kirubel Erassa, Shannon Osika, Jordan Mann, Eleanor Fulton

Men: (order of finish) Shadrack Kipchirchir, Stanley Kebenei, Hillary Bor, Emmanuel Bor, Leonard Korir, Mason Ferlic

Women: (order of finish) Stephanie Bruce, Sarah Pagano, Anne-Marie Blaney, Karissa Schweizer, Marielle Hall, Courtney Frerichs

Uganda:

Mixed Relay:
(order of relay) Cory Leslie, Eleanor Fulton, Marisa Howard, Paul Chelimo

Men: (order of finish) Samuel Chelanga (#11), Leonard Korir (#20),
Shadrack Kipchirchir (#21), Stanley Kebenei (#26), Scott Fauble (#36), I think there was a USA dnf

Women: (order of finish) Aliphine Tuliamuk, Stephanie Bruce, Natosha Rogers, Sarah Pagano, Elaina Tabb, Emily Pritt

Respect for all!!! True Patriots!!!

Cycling gets it. Cyclocross race this weekend on the snow at Val di Sole.

They did this last year, too, it's somewhat an effort to get cyclocross racing in the Olympics. Everyone who matters will be there. They race on snow, it's quite the gimmick. But it's a race, everyone shows.

Carry on, delicate US runners who can't be bothered.

the thing about Rojo is that he is not smart

^This. What the hell is a "pro card"?