Kick-off 2009 season & preliminary survey Interland 2009

Today, after a few months off, we wiped off our writing equipment, laptop and camera to be prepared for the 2009 season.

The international elite season really starts in the last weekend of March at Spring Cup. In the meantime we will focus on other interesting races, interviews with elite runners about their expectations for the coming season, and more…

This year we kick-off with a report of the Interland 2009 which will take place next weekend.

Preliminary survey Interland 2009

Every year in the very beginning of the new season five teams; the English team, the Dutch team, the Nordrhein-Westfalische (NW Germany) team and two Belgian teams (the Flemish and the French speaking parts) compete against each other. The event is well-known as the Interland, but in fact the event is not a true interland because the competition is between five federations (NOLB-VVO-FRSO-WTB-ENG) coming from four countries and not between national teams coming from several countries. Teams spans all age groups from Women and Men-14 to Women and Men-60+: 42 team members in total.

This year it is England’s turn to host the competition. The event will take place near Beaconsfield – approximately 45 km west of London. The race will take place on Burnham Beeches and Egypt Woods. The southern part of the race area, Burnham Beeches, consists of mainly beech woods with quite extensive rhododendron growth. Gentle hills, with stream valleys, some complex areas of knolls and depressions. The Northern part, Egypt Woods, is also fast deciduous woodland, but with fewer paths compared with the southern part. I think we can expect fast running times!

Program
February 21th – Training
February 22th – Interland (Burnham Beeches and Egypt Woods)

One week left but there is still some vagueness about the training and accommodation. Hopefully competitors don’t have to sleep in their cars / buses!

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