THE announcement of the 2021 IAAF World Cross Country Championships coming to Bathurst has been warmly welcomed by two Australian athletes with close ties to the region.
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Ben St Lawrence and Paige Campbell, former and current Charles Sturt University students respectively, are among the nation's leading runners and are very familiar with racing in the Central West.
Australian 10,000m record holder St Lawrence was thrilled by Thursday's announcement while Campbell, originally from Warren, described it as a "massive bonus".
"I know the area well, so it will be great to get everyone out here to have a look and see how good it is," Campbell, who smashed two course records in winning both the five-kilometre Dingo Dash and 10km Cheetah Chase at last year’s Dubbo Stampede, said.
"It will certainly be interesting to see what course they come up with It should be nice and hilly, up and down, and I'm sure it will be tough."
"There will certainly be athletes who are targeting this event from now. It's a long preparation, a few years for sure."
St Lawrence echoed the sentiments of the Dubbo Parkrun record holder.
"I'm really excited," St Lawrence said.
"I lived in Bathurst for four years, went to university here and have run a few laps of the mountain. I've been to two world cross countries, one in Spain and one in Scotland, and it seems surreal that world cross country is coming to Bathurst.
"It is really exciting and I think I'm going to have to try to train up for it and see if I can make another team.
I've been to two world cross countries ... and it seems surreal that world cross country is coming to Bathurst.
- Ben St Lawrence
"I'd be really proud to be part of showing off this area to the world running community and I think it is exciting.
"Hopefully having the mass participation events and getting the community involved and people being able to walk up from town and watch some of the best athletes in the world race, it's going to be really exciting."
Very little about the course is known at this stage, but experienced cross country athletes are expected to be consulted during the development process.
"I think they'll be picking the brains of athletes and I think Darren [Gocher] is going to be heading over to Denmark to check it out and if anyone needs some help I'd be happy to get involved," St Lawrence said.
"Sometimes it can be super hilly, other times it is golf course flat, but I think it will be a two-kilometre loop, with variations of distance depending on age and events."
The event will be held in March and will bring together more than 700 competitors from 60 countries around the world.
