World XC - do we still care?
It was great to see some fierce competition for World Cross places on the GB & NI team at last months National XC champs around the UK. Athletes like Andy Vernon, Freya Murray and Charlotte Purdue obviously see it as a big target in their track preparation – but also as a target in itself…
Wish the same could be said when it comes to the UK media. Outside of Athletics Weekly, I have scoured around the various outlets for excitement about this weekends World Cross Country Championships – without much luck. It’s almost two years since I published this article and Tim Hutchings’ view and little has changed to alleviate those doomsday views it seems.
As for TV, well. You’ll catch it a week later on Channel 4, about 6.30 in the morning. Unbelievable to imagine this situation just a few years after it would have commanded prime-time Sunday afternoon TV, but true.
Interestingly there are plenty of questioning views on what is going wrong on a broader level, with some excellent views on the decline from the likes of Len Johnson and Doug Gillon, which dig a little deeper. I’m of the view that endurance running in the UK has moved on since Ian Stewart and CVC came along, but we are still a few yards short of putting our feet back on the world’s stage when it comes to XC.
Sure, Kenya, the IAAF and the US are getting pretty hyped about the events in Punta Umbria this weekend, but for how much longer? The next champs will be in 2013, maybe. Maybe? Yes, reportedly there is only one bidder to host the champs – and that is Bahrain.
Whether we like it or not, investment in major sporting events these days is governed by returns in those investments. Be it TV or a title sponsorship. And if the viewers/ consumers aren’t there, then neither will the TV and sponsors – it’s a vicious circle, that ultimately could see the World Cross as we know it in its death-throws.
Maybe the goalposts have moved. Maybe the likes of Steve Jones (world XC podium, 2.07 marathoner, 27.30 10k track man) will never be seen again. Maybe distance runners will be built and perform in different ways in the future, and the World XC will be seen as a stepping stone.
Whatever, it’s the characters and heroes that put bums on seats and with our foremost endurance athlete choosing to race in New York at a half marathon this weekend, Mo Farah is doing nothing for the perception that the World Cross doesnt matter – which the TV and media will undoubtedly pick up on.
But, there could be a phoenix from these flames and maybe the IAAF’s cross country sun has become a death star – a super nova, too big, too costly, too narrow in its appeal – which upon implosion spawns new life. We will see.
