Welcome back to another issue of your favourite newsletter, The Blue Line.
You know what’s absolutely wild?! That the Aussie team for World XC caught a bus to Bathurst this week. That’s right, a bus. Over two days. Hope they had a long aux cord so Robbo could play his little beepity beep music over the speakers whilst sitting in the back row.
If you listened to the season return of FTK this week you would have heard the charming Matt Centrowitz on the show. We’re pleased to say that next week we’ll be dropping an exclusive 10 minute pod with Centro right here on The Blue Line. Keep an eye out (ear?) for more of these exclusives throughout the season.
Also, did you hear the boys mention their Sydney Marathon competition? 2 lucky FTK listeners will be trained by Brett and Joel for the Sydney Marathon, and receive free entry into the race. We’re giving you (and only you) some tips on how to stand out in your application.
Enjoy World XC this weekend if you’re watching it, and keep this issue handy at all times.
by Fraser Darcy
Kkk, it’s Saturday arvo and you’re stressing because all you’ve done to prepare to watch the World XC Champs is read TBL or listen to FTK. Where’s all the other info you need? The livestream link, the athlete start list, the big names’ World Athletics Profile? Chill, keep this tab open on your phone for Saturday arvo so you don’t have to trawl through the World Athletics site.
Course Map Rumour is that it’s tougher than 2019 the supposedly ‘toughest ever’...
Past Results (good if you want to double check the commentators facts)
SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand will be broadcasting the races all Saturday afternoon so sign up now for your SBS On Demand account and remember your password.
Official Race Previews for Men, Women, U20 Men, U20 Women and the Mixed Relay.
World Athletics profile of pre-race favourites so you can impress your mates with your knowledge:
The Holy Grail of all this info and more is in the Official Media Guide. Think of it like the AFL Footy Record. Page 12 has a birds eye course map view, Page 27 is where the good stuff starts. Reams of facts and figures to keep you interested for hours. The Australia team specific Media Guide is also available too and will be very handy.
Golden Ticket winners? Their races will be done and dusted by 10:30am hopefully so if the boffins at World Athletics are quick, expect to know who the lucky boys and girls going for a tour of the Chocolate Factory racing against the big dogs by your midday lunch break on Friday.
Finally, the weather forecast for Saturday is a predicted high of 34℃ and light winds in the afternoon. Primo conditions for some fun in the sun. Any runner wearing a legionaries hat will be given a 50 metre head start (this is official).
by Fraser Darcy
We got in early with our preview of the elites to watch in the last issue while the official media catch up. Why? So we can give some space to the athletes at the other end of the spectrum. The good ‘ol ‘Aussie Battler’ type! The following athletes I’m sure would love your support physically on the day or telepathically.
#283 Damien Troquenet (French Polynesia) Men’s Race: Originally a French slalom canoeist who made it to the World Champs in that sport, in 2007 he made the move to Tahiti we’re imagining to inspire the 268,000 French Polynesian’s with his running. Second oldest in the field at age 39 too.
#298 Gaylord Silly (Seychelles 🐚) Men’s Race: This man has history at World XC Champs and is always at the back of the field. He’s doing it in the right spirit though and running to make his country proud and have a good race. Has improved over the years though so hopefully he can go better than his 120th in 2019. Epic last name. Feel like his rap name would naturally be G-Silly, which has something about it…
#639 Nathania Tan (Northern Maria Islands) Women’s Race: Possibly the smallest country represented with only 47,239 people, Nathania is surely a shining light to her country. She also holds an ITF Junior Tennis ranking so while she won’t be at the pointy end with her running, she’d whip the Kenyans in tennis 🎾 I’m sure.
#666 Wiepke Schoeman (South Africa) U20 Women’s Race: The Devil’s number 👿 or the Number of the Beast. Please send good thoughts to Wiepke to ward off any evil spirits that befoul her on race day. Hopefully we haven’t induced the commentator’s curse…
Finally, in the Mixed Relay, Fiji 🇫🇯 takes the honour of being the country with the lowest population (1 million) so give them a cheer as they make their way around. Although, there is an Athlete Refugee Team so while they may possibly come from bigger countries, it’s probably a mighty effort to get to a World Champs if you’re a refugee…
by Elise Beacom
World XC is mega competitive because Kenya can bring half a dozen of their best athletes (shoutouts to Ethiopia and Uganda too). Over the past seven meets, Kenyan women have won every individual gold, while the Kenyan blokes have taken four victories (when they missed out it was Ethiopia or Uganda in top spot). Not a bad record, eh?
But what makes them so good? I caught up with Kenyan elite coach John Ewoi for an insiders perspective, and Sweat Elite founder Matt Fox (a frequent Kenya visitor), for an outsiders view on what makes the Kenyans so damn great.
1. Racing to win
John: Kenyan athletes believe they can realise their biggest goal today, not years from now.Winning can mean buying a car or a house and providing for their families. “When you come from a low life, even a race t-shirt you can appreciate.”
Matt: Racing to win opens something in the mind that allows Kenyan athletes to give more. “Kenyans are all trying to win whereas we are not. I’m entering races like Osaka Marathon where I have no idea where I’m going to come, but I know for sure I won’t win.” (Matt thinks he might have the edge on Julian Spence though.)
2. No human is limited
John: Heart rate, GPS and counting kilometres are often limiting factors. “You are slow when the mind is slow. If you follow the watch, you may be limiting yourself.” Kenyans rely on natural cues instead. “You can’t control nature or the ground in Iten. Pace changes on the terrain, so running is by effort.”
Matt: Most Kenyans don’t have Strava. “When you start really obsessing over splits and times and paces…that’s not good. But we are handed these things or force fed them by Garmin and Strava because that’s their incentive to get us obsessed with them.”
3. Hakuna matata
Matt: Everything is “hakuna matata” (watch this explainer video), and many Kenyans chill between runs. “In the west we set ourselves up for stress in our lifestyles. We have jobs that are stressful, we have timelines that are stressful, we have commuting…I think stress is a big inhibitor of performance.”
4. Teamwork makes the dream work
John: Most Kenyans train in groups – a good source of inspiration and motivation. But it takes special practice to avoid codependency, as athletes need to survive solo when racing abroad. “We get them to train alone sometimes to become an Eagle. He hunts alone and then takes the food somewhere to eat.”
5. Slow food
Matt: The diet in Kenya is natural and organic. “The McFlurry that McDonald’s is advertising to you sounds pretty good, but if you don’t have that as an option like up here [in Iten], then you can’t have it.”
6. Or maybe they’re born with it
Matt: Genetics play a big part. “They [Kenyans] are born at altitude, their body composition is much lower fat, there’s something to do with their Achilles, which I haven’t fully understood, but it’s longer and more springy.”
Check out the Kenya team limbering up in Bathurst, and stay tuned for more stories from Iten in upcoming editions of The Blue Line.
by Fraser Darcy
Australia’s first World Athletics Tour Gold level meet, the Maurie Plant Meet, is on the 23rd February. Stewy briefed us on who Maurie Plant was last fortnight and now it’s time to brief you on the actual athletics. So, what is there to look forward to in Melbourne on a hopefully balmy Thursday night for the cool price of $30 per adult? (it’s hard to get 2 hours of entertainment for $30 these days - but you could see the new Ant-Man movie if world class athletics isn’t for you).
A Mile of Talent: Can Centro shake off the rust in the John Landy Mile event against a stacked field of Olli Hoare, Stewy, Rambo (Matt Ramsden), Grego (Gen’s husband!) and solid 3:31 Kiwi runner Sam Tanner (we will adopt him as Australian if he runs well). Interestingly, the day after the race is the 1 year anniversary of Landy’s passing.
Need for Speed: Rohan Browning opened his 2023 account with a win over 100m in the Adelaide Invitational but he’ll be going against Fred Kerley, A.K.A reigning World 100m Champion over 200m in Melbourne. Hopefully Fred brings his A game and can give Rohan a good hit-out early in the year and maybe drag him to a new PB.
It’s almost too good to be true: Not only do we have Jess Hull and Abbey Caldwell lining up in the 1500m after they’ve teamed up to hopefully win gold in the mixed relay at World XC, they’ll also have Georgia Griffith breathing down their necks and two 18 year old Ethiopians for good measure. Oh and USA’s Emma Coburn and GB’s Heather MacLean who both hold PB’s in the Hull/Caldwell/Griffiths timezone. Only need Linden Hall and it’s almost a Diamond League Final with that much quality!
Oh but wait, Linden’s in the 3000m, with Rose Davies, Leanne Pompeani (can she translate her longer form into the short stuff? and is her last name the most fun to say out loud?) and Caitlin Adams. Throw in Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka who has an 8:40 PB (almost 10 seconds better than any Aussie so maybe she’ll drag them into new territory?) and these races will have Bruce McAvaney chomping at the bit!
Yes Bruce!!! Someone at Athletics Australia has decided it’s finally time to up the livestream game and get Bruce in to do the commentary. It’ll be on 7plus (like Adelaide was and Sydney’s meet will be too) so if you can’t get there, get it online. But really, for $30, consider it a donation to Athletics Australia (and help them fly our athletes to the next World Champs - I’m worried about them getting a bus to Budapest later in the year) and get along after you’ve ‘donated’ to then watch some ‘free’ athletics at Lakeside Stadium and honour the effort that Maurie Plant put in to make some of our Aussie athletes the best they could be.
There’s also some throwing, jumping and other distances too. It’s just all too much to fit into a neat article. More info here thanks to Athletics Australia.
If you listened to FTK earlier in the week, you heard Brett and Joel announce their new competition thanks to Sydney Marathon. Two lucky listeners (or readers) will receive personal coaching from the guys and a free entry to run the Sydney Marathon this September.
The only catch? It has to be your first marathon, and you have to send through a 200 word answer as to why you’re deserving of the spot.
So, here are our tips on standing out from the crowd.
I’s not about how good you are. Whether you’re currently running a 1/2 in 59:57 or 3 hours, it doesn’t matter. Forgeddaboutit.
You’ll need to jump on air with the lads occasionally and give a training update - so let your personality come through in your application. What are you into? What’s your lifestyle like? Got any funny running stories? Done anything cool? Put it in your application.
Mention you’re an avid reader of The Blue Line
Demonstate your commitment - the last thing the guys want is someone to win the prize and then fall off the wagon halfway through the block. Gone the extra mile for something before? Possess Kobe Bryant like determination? Put it in the application!
Email your application direct to joel@grattanhouse.com or brett@grattanhouse.com. If you’re funny - send it to Joel. If you’re a sweetie and you want someone to read your application and say “aawwwww”, send it to Brett.
As mentioned, next week you’ll get a special email with the exclusive Centro pod. How good. If anyone in the squad isn’t subscribed, share this issue with them and be a good friend. Oh, and if you haven’t yet checked it out - Joel catches up with Ryan ‘Grego’ Gregson on the FTK Q&A this week - dropped last night, check it out 🔥