BUPA Great Edinburgh International & Inter-District XC

Quite possibly the biggest and best cross-country meet in the world this year (outside of the World Championships in Amman, Jordan this March) and I earned a spot in the race, running for the Scottish West District squad. Fifty Scottish club and university runners were selected to compete in a field otherwise consisting of ueber-elites. It was a privilege to be a part of it, and it will surely be one of my most memorable races ever.

To give you an idea of how amazing it was (and how ridiculously over my head I was!) at today's 8.9 kilometer cross-country race, let me introduce you to the competition. First, we have Zeresenay Tadese: World XC Champion in 2006, 3-time World Half-Marathon Champion, Olympic Bronze Medalist at 10,000 meters, with personal bests of 12:59 in the 5,000, 26:37 in the 10,000, and 58:59 in the half.

Then we have Eliud Kipchoge, shown here (at age 18!) out-kicking none other than Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele for the World Championship 5,000 meter title. PB's of 12:46 for 5,000 and 26:49 for 10,000 meters.
(getty images)
Next, another Kenyan runner shown here winning the Junior title at World Cross Country, Augustine Choge. PB's of 12:53 over 5,000 and 7:28 over 3,000 meters.
(getty images)
And though he was out due to injury this year, the man who won this race the past three years, and whose credentials make him perhaps the greatest distance runner ever, Kenenisa Bekele: world record holder at both 5,000 (12:37) and 10,000 meters (26:17), Olympic Champion in the 10,000 in 2004 and in both the 10,000 and 5,000 in 2008, bearer of 12 World XC titles!
(getty images)


The American presence was sparse (partly due to the USA half-marathon championships next weekend), but the highlight of my day by far, was meeting Ed and Jorge Torres, chatting a bit (mostly me going on like a giddy school girl about how big a 'super fan' I was), and running some strides alongside them. Additionally, I brushed shoulders with Andrew Lemoncello, Sergey Lebid, and Andy Baddeley. That is, until they started running (and I started to redefine my idea of what it means to run, and run fast).

In short, the competition was analogous to my high school basketball team, the Canby Lancers, facing the '95-96 Chicago Bulls in the United Center. The conclusion was, needless to say, fore drawn.

Despite wanting to 'run my own race' and avoid going out at a suicide pace, I let the excitement pull me through the first 1500 meters at a pace that would make the remaining 7 km hurt. By the 2nd kilometer, a large pack consisting of Easties and Unis mostly, drove right past me. The remainder of the race was hanging on desperately, cursing the 25 mph winds, falling further and further behind the field - ugh.

The leaders early on (The Eritreans running for the Weegies would, like me, pay a heavy price for their aggressive start):


About a mile into the race, I am already feeling the burn and peeling off the back of the pack:
The leaders going up Haggis Knowe for the first of four times:
My first pass up the Haggis. Despite appearances, there are still a few runners behind me at this point - though I was definitely back in the "hinterland," where the air is seemingly thinner, the mud thicker, and the hills steeper. That photographer almost beat me up the hill actually:Haggis Knowe, part 2, with a lead group consisting of Boniface Kiprop (bib #18), eventual winner Abebe Dinkesa (bib #11 in the red shorts), Zeresenay Tadese (bib #1), Eliud Kipchoge (bib #2), Mang'ata Ndiwa (bib #15):
Me on Haggis Knowe, parts 2...3...4... (can I walk now?!):
Result: 8.9 kilometers in 32:32 for 61st place overall. The winner, Dinkesa, a relatively unheralded Ethiopian, ran a time of 26:51. Our West District team - led by the 4 Eritrean transplants and rounded out with the efforts of Chris Mackay, Paul Sorrie, Jethro Lennox, and eventually me) won with 33 points over the East's 64 and the University's 83.