What do you think of our proposal to make World XC the primary way to qualify for Worlds/Olympics in the 10,000?

The only way to make XC popular is for Bekele to become an action star like Sylvester Stallone and have lots of scenes of him running after people and being chased too.

I love the idea. I doubt it will happen but it would be great if it does.

Made a post on Tuesday saying '

The 10,000m is dead, long live the 10,000m (XC).

After listening to the podcast this week with RoJo trying to resurrect world xc, the answer to me is obvious.

The only way you're going to get World XC to matter is by putting it in one of the few meets that matter...

...Just make World XC the world 10,000m - get great fan engagement and replace the most boring event in all of sports.

...Standalone events like The Ten, or Night of the 10,000m PBs could continue - as ways to qualify for the XC. Basically the reverse of what happens now - a few slots in the XC would be available for people with epic track times.

We need to accept reality that a 23 minute jog followed by a 4 minute burn-up is just too boring.

This would both invigorate XC and get rid of something terrible.

PS I'm a club runner in the UK which has a thriving XC circuit - having it as a World Champs event would draw in a lot of those casual runners into the track event - most completely ignore it atm.

Probably will be unpopular, but I'm with some other posters in thinking that the better move might be to just make XC the de facto 10K championships at the Olympic and ditch the track version. Stage it early in the Olympics in direct response to the Marathon and 5,000 being last. Go all-in on interesting, TV-friendly, spectator-friendly elements. I guess the question then is what do you do in Worlds years, and maybe the answer is as simple World XC should only exist in Olympic years (as a qualifying race to set the Olympic), and non-championship years (as it will be appealing to race then).

Year 1:
World XC (Q for Olympics) - Jan.-Feb
Olympics (10K XC to start T&F program) - July
World Roads - Sept

Year 2:
World Indoors - March
World Champs - August

Year 3:
World XC -March
World Roads - September

Year 4:
World Indoors- March
World Champs - August

Agreed. That's the primary variable. I come here to read about events that aren't a concern anywhere else. The people who comment here seem to have a greater understanding of the limited scope than the administrators do. Hence the occasional proposal that holds no weight or need or possibility.

Cross country should be on the Olympic program instead of either the 5000 or 10,000. It's extremely difficult to undo something like that, although the IOC did manage with women's distance events in the '80s and '90s, and recently with the walk races.

Every time I watch the Olympic mountain bike race it seems such a waste that the terrain is only used for bikes, and without a less severe sister track that can accommodate runners. Biathlon has several offshoot routes that can be used based on men's race or women's race, or change in weather conditions/snowfall.

While we're at it, let's have utmb be primary way to qualify for the Olympic Marathon!

This non-trivial boost to XC while retaining the classic 10000m at Worlds is an elegant solution. One small change, though: I would move the Year 3 World XC to Jan-Feb--maybe a more attractive date for top NCAA/U20 XC runners and active marathoners who still have 10k wheels but don't want to miss a Spring payday.

Good call!

What do you think of my proposal that running website owners need to have an employment history, ability to spell and use grammar correctly, not be subject to every idiotic conspiracy theory?

Know how to open a garage door, rent a car, catch a raccoon, use email.

I am glad you gals & guys know 10000m at Olympics & W.C. is in danger of being deleted from the program. As you gals & guys know, 10000m was added, 1912, pre-television. Ten-thousand meters does not fit today. Your proposal may be unfair. Gals & guys have been training to race comfortably aerobic for exactly 8000m on the track and gradually increasing pace every straightaway. U.S. runners would do awful, XC. Drop 10000m and add 3000m, add 200m low hurdles, add 4 x 800m relay, possibly add 4 x 200m, possibly add one or two medley relays and possibly add 200m on straightaway. Everything I recommend to add would be good tv.

I think it’s a bad idea because XC and track are very different environments. I would like to see XC at the Olympics though. Maybe winter

What's missing is any significant TV audience for cross country. It is apparently even less than synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics...

Wow I didn’t realize the average letsrun user was this dumb. The entire thread is going on about 10k XC not being a good qualifier for 10k on the track with some absolutely absurd comparisons. Look at the champions of the World Cross Championships and the champions/podium of the NCAA Cross Championships and look at the corresponding 10k championship the year before or after and tell me they aren’t correlated.

World XC:

18k, severe hills, rolling straightaways & twisting descents.
World tour of x events that are used to qualify for yearly championship.
Team & individual placing.

This is a what if kinda thing for those who understand how to develop a concept.

What for? L.A. Olympics 2028 will have two 10Km cross races medal races at Mt Sac famous for the world's toughest cross country course.

I think it completely sucks much like this garbage forum