Page 16 - June_2014

"TWO ROADS DIVERGE....."
out & about
By John Morton

I

recentlybecame aware of an interesting divergence
inconsistent snow conditions, and especially challenging relatively level for nearly the entire first kilometer, giving
of philosophies regarding competition trails for cross courses, Olympic Nordic enthusiasts saw a relatively high the athletes plenty of distance to sort themselves out from
country running and Nordic skiing. Some time ago, number of falls, some of them resulting in injuries, during the starting line to the first turn.
I was invited to consult on the creation of a national
the Sochi Games.
But what really surprised me about the champion-
caliber, cross country running venue in Louisville, Ken- I believe this tendency to increase the difficulty of the ship course in Terra Haute is that it is relatively flat. Al-

tucky. A new race course was to be part of an ambitious, world caliber Nordic ski courses is driven by two factors. though the site might be described as very gently rolling,
nationally prominent, urban park and created with an First, the capability of the elite athlete has steadily, and there is nothing on the course that a runner from Vermont
eye toward hosting major national and even international dramatically improved. Barely a generation ago the men’s would describe as a hill. Later, the Louisville coach con-
cross country running events.
50-kilometer event was a monumental survival test that firmed that the current trend in elite, cross country run-
The University of Louisville, famous for its impres- could take four hours. Now, thanks to advancements in ning is for fast times, which translates into flat courses.
sive sports programs, including successful football and ski construction, waxing technology and snow grooming An interesting side note to this refinement of the

NCAA championship basketball teams, is also noted for in addition to the capabilities of the athletes, the Sochi 50k sport is the desire for a uniform, preferably grass running
its excellent cross country runners. Their coach boasts seemed more like a sprint with more than a dozen racers in surface. Although cross country running evolved a century
years of experience at the elite level of the sport.
contention for a medal.
ago in Great Britain on rough, hilly trails complete with
Therefore, it came as a surprise to me when he sug- The second factor, for better or worse, is television. stream crossings and vaulting of stone walls, more recently
gested the course should be “flat and fast.” Typically, cross All Olympic sports are competing with each other for air in America, the only available open area in urban com-
country courses reflect the local terrain and topography of time and it’s clear that the viewing audience enjoys the munities was the golf course. As a result, cross country in

the specific location. In other words, elite runners compet- rough and tumble of snowboard cross and the new (prob- the States often meant running down manicured fairways,
ing in Kansas or Indiana would expect a relatively flat race ably made for TV) slope style.
which has become a desired attribute of championship
course while athletes running a course in West Virginia I find it interesting that two sports (cross country trails designed for the sport. A cynical traditionalist might
or Vermont would expect hillier terrain. It is the endless running and cross country skiing) with similar origins complain that cross country running has become a track
variety of the various courses that is one of the attractive and attracting many of the same athletes, seem to have meet on grass.
aspects of the sport.
taken such dramatically divergent courses in terms of In contrast, cross country ski racing has headed in

The Louisville coach suggested I visit the Lavern trail design.
the opposite direction. Anyone who watched the Nordic
Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terra skiing events of the recent Sochi Olympic Games had to be
Haute, Indiana which has hosted many competitions, in- aware of the increased technical and physical challenge of
cluding several NCAA Championship events. I was both the courses. It was not long ago that a typical cross coun-
impressed and a bit puzzled by what I found. The Gibson John Morton is a former Olympic biathlete try ski course consisted of 1/3 climb, 1/3 descent and 1/3
and Nordic ski coach. He lives in Thetford
venue is a jackpot for spectators who can see virtually the relatively flat skiing. Except for a few hundred meters at
entire race course from near the start/finish. The site con- Center where he designs Nordic ski trails. the start/finish area, the level skiing has disappeared from
sists of 280 acres of reclaimed coal mine and land fill, pur- You can reach him through his website, the equation. Modern ski trails focus on physically pun-
posely devoid of trees or anything that would obstruct the mortontrails.com.
ishing climbs often followed by fast, sometimes techni-
view of the spectators. The course is virtually straight and
cal descents. Thanks in part to the warm temperatures,

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