Why are British people obsessed with mud and awful weather for XC?

The Edinburgh xc was around a park with a wee hill on each lap. It was hardly representative of British xc.

AR is not the same as a national record. The European Record is not the same as the British record for example.

NCAA records exist in the same way that BUCS records exist. Or any other championships record. It's the record within a competition - fair enough

Architecture deficiencies come from lack of history - most British cities have a school older than their entire country.

I think they are concerned about the mud and weather because it slows humans down when they are running. That's my guess. And then they might get slower times because of it.

I hope you are not serious. Have you been to Great Britain?? Get out of your Mom's basement and travel a bit... The weather sucks in general so that's what they have.

Watched the Stavanger (Norway 1989) races - very tough going. But it is as it is - running World XC (end of winter) usually in March (it is early this year) in Europe (or Boston '92) yields inclement conditions. It is an Autumn sport in North America, in part because the school calendar predominates and Track ends in June (NCAA) or earlier (HS State meets). Then base for the summer. In Europe and elsewhere (not counting down under) Track goes all summer into September, then a break and base until December for a 4 month XC season before outdoor track. Indoor track in Europe is a relatively recent endeavor (was started in the Northeast US) and more runners are now doing that as opposed to XC, because they have a choice (certainly 1500m and below). Is it impacting XC? Certainly. But since the east Africans have come to dominate the World meet in the last 30+ years, some countries (listed above) in Europe, in particular, no longer send teams for the senior races.

Since Hutchings was 2nd in that race (behind Ngugi), it is little wonder that he fancies tough racing conditions. It is likely no ones ideal, but again that comes from racing XC in the winter.

Only two things noteworthy about the brits:

they worship Camilla Parker Bowles

and they have janky teeth

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As a track and field athlete and coach (both current) I can say that I despised cross country because the courses where I used to compete in high school were boring. Mostly done in parks on either paved walkways or grass. There was a school who had us run over a bridge and I thought that was cool. The idea of sections of the course having actual terrain, mud, sand really appeals to me. The more different cross country is to track racing the better for the sport IMO.

There were a slew of World XC Champs in Europe late 90s. I was at Belfast in 98. Mud up to your knees, rain and cold. Didn’t stop the Africans from cleaning up.

I’ve run XC in the American Midwest, in England (including lots of massive championship team events) and in Switzerland. It’s borderline totally different in each place. I loved it all but England was DEFINITELY the toughest. Distance is approximate, no mile markers, just run and beat as many people as you can for your club. As XC apparently comes from GB, I can understand their disappointment in how it’s changed around the world, but change is inevitable. Like adjusting the mound height in baseball or making hockey players where helmets.

Same reason American football fans romanticize a game played in a blizzard.

I think Hutchings gets away with some opinionated stuff partly because he came 4th in the OG, and is tall, male, white and has a public school swagger. he does know his stuff, undeniably,, but he doesnt fully think around it. Cross Country has two words in it - so it has to be on whatever is country in the hosting venue. If hutchings thinks it through, and relates it to he old bestie Coe's role as WA Head, then 'country' has to be interpreted to be whatever the hosts' terrain offers. The whole Western Europe colonial mindset can be overplayed massively of course but I think there is a hint of it here.

It's just one person's opinion, who happens to be British.

I know a lot of Brits who prefer golf course style courses.

Personally I like a course best when it's even underfoot with no hills and either springy grass or a hard baked surface.

Yeah how he get away with having an opinion. White man no allowed!

I find it funny how the Brits complain about American cross country, yet can't send a full team to World Cross.

John Ngugi was probably my all-time favorite runner to watch, in large part because of that combination of a long loping stride, the pendulous arm swing, and even the unusually hunched-over upper body. I don't recall anyone else who ran like that, and he was by far the best cross-country runner in the world, and could close a gap, or gap a field, at will. So it was a bit jarring to hear a seasoned commentator describe his running form as "ugly" when I've always found it beautiful, freeform, uninhibited, and obviously superior to whatever everybody else seemed to be doing. It was also odd that the commentator was wondering whether Ngugi had gotten lost in the crowd when Ngugi had already bridged up to Masai in the lead, just eight minutes into the race, after which no one came close to him during the last thirty-two minutes (80%) of the race. When Ngugi looked back on the last lap to see where everyone else was, he almost seemed to be wondering if he could take a little nap before jogging to the finish line. (To his credit, the commentator did say that Ngugi was, without question, the greatest cross-country runner ever.)

The American focus on times rather than place in cross-country is pretty silly, but the focus on times rather than place in both track and road-racing -- something that's not confined to Americans -- is more disconcerting to me, since it seems more widespread and pernicious to the sport. Still, I'm glad to see that world cross is finally here, with one of the few races that I still find worth watching these days.

Wouldn't the bigger problem be buried bombs?

Could you identify the parts of this comment that are not intended to be funny?

What is a 'golf course style course'????