By James Waindi

The future of the World Cross country championship looks bleak after International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that lack of sponsorship hinders them from hosting the event annually.

The tournament, which was held in Kenya in 2005, has been an annual event since its introduction 37 years ago, but lack of steady sponsorship has now forced the organisers to hold it after every two years.

Athletics Kenya Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat who also doubles up as a IAAF Council Member announced this on Monday during a luncheon organised by Kenya Commercial Back (KCB) for the local Cross country team that won team the title at the 37th World Cross country championship in Amman. Jordan last month.

"The future of the World Cross country championship is currently not certain because

Wow, trips over but we've just entered the halfway mark in the last push of the race calendar before the big month off from running. Now comes the hard part. I've got a 50 miler next weekend that I decided it would be a good idea to do the week after worlds. Of course this was before I knew if I'd made it to worlds. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to it. Scared to death, but looking forward to it. Why? I'm not sure. It's something new, I've never done something like this before. I like the unknown. People have been asking me why I'm doing that and I haven't come up with a good answer but I think that's what it is. It's a new adventure. I'm bored with what I know. I've done the roads, track, xc and now I'd like to take my running to another realm that I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing. And it is pleasure, I truly enjoy the run, the journey, as much as I do the competition. The 50 miler's a whole new ball game. Could go well, could go up in flames or maybe not so dramatic. Either way, I'm afraid of it. It's going to hurt and that's forced me to plan more than I've had to for a race in awhile. That planning forces me to be more invested in it too. It's a good feeling. I like a good adventure. I need to do this more often.  So, on to something new. 

April 11th is Pear Blossom 10 miler in Medford. If I can walk then that's the plan.  Most of you that read this may know what Pear is but it's a special race for me. The hometown race. I've been doing this race since high school. Several of my old teachers from middle and high school still put the race on and it has become a tradition for me and a connection to where I've come from. It's one of my favorites in my race calendar and if at all possible won't miss it for anything. It's not your typical weekend annual Fourth of July 5k that a few people come out for. The Pear is the largest running (possibly just the largest sporting event but I don't want to label it falsely) event in the Rogue Valley and is an integral part of the Pear Blossom Festival with Parade, Pageants, and other events. It attracts over 1000 people to the 10 mile run plus another 500 or so for the 5k and 1 mile walk. It gets coverage on the front page of the newspaper sports section for two days in a row and all the local news channels as well. How many local races can claim the kind of community intimacy that the Pear attracts? That's why I love it and look forward to it every year. I don't know if this is common in the ranks of the elite but this is how I stay grounded and connected. It's important for me to have something to come back to. Part of my past, call me sentimental. There are other reasons to run races than competition and prize money. I feel like it's something we've gotten away from. The 70's and 80's when runners like Bill Rogers and Frank Shorter would show up to small town road races. Maybe they were there for the prize money but I'd like to think it was more than that, just the thrill of a race and the joy of camaraderie. In 1980, Frank Shorter won the Pear. There's still no prize money. 

I'm considering trying to drive like a Jordanian for a few days when I get home. I'm kind of wondering how many fingers I would get. They aren't bad drivers but they drive very different than in the US. The best way to merge into traffic is just to give your horn a quick blast and nose your way on out. Drivers will just continue to go around you until you get too far out for them to get around and then you're in. And nobody has road rage, incredible.

Anyway, whirlwind day. Of course it was pretty uneventful for the morning. Sitting around the hotel, breakfast, light 10min run, movie, lunch, load up to the course. That's when the fun started. The next 48hrs will be non-stop. By now you've most likely seen results of the races. We've been without internet or any way to communicate since before we left for the race course (so it's not my fault this is late). I have to say, the course was pretty unbelievable, and if anyone will believe me, it was a lot of fun. Up, down, up down,... And it lived up to it's pre-race synopsis as brutal. The race went out moderately fast for the first uphill 200m, then settled in for the 600m downhill. I continued to weave my way from mid pack at the top of the hill to the top 10 by the bottom and settled in for the short flat section before the climb. Ran my own race up the climb letting the main pack gain some ground on me before catching back up on the downhill again. The pack slowed on the flat section and I was able to relax and just settle in to my own rhythm. Everyone was being pretty conservative knowing that that 5th and 6th laps were going to be pretty grueling if the race was pushed from the start. I knew I had to run my own race if I were going to run my best so I let the pack run away from me as they ratcheted up the pace going up the hill for the second time. This was about the time Bobby passed me and held on to the USA lead for a couple laps. By the end of lap 5 I was able to reel Bobby in and Ryan had caught up to us. With a hilly race like this strengths and weaknesses become very obvious. My weakness is definitely the uphills but I can make up for that on the downhill. Too bad we finished on the uphill. Ryan crushed the last two laps and especially the last climb up to the finish, as did Bobby while I held my own, even passing a few people on climb, and was third for the US and 40th overall. Ryan was 33rd and Bobby 37th. Ed Torres (my roomie) was right behind me in 58th an Ed Moran was just behind him in 68th with some nasty blisters. And Bret was 75th. The US ran smart, pacing was even and we put everything we had out there. It was an eighth place showing behind teams that couldn't be caught YET even on our best days (top 6) and Spain who had a very strong team. I'm happy with my race. It is definitely the best of my three World XC events yet. Hopefully that trend will continue. The course played to my strengths sure, but my mind was in the right place, fitness was good and I learn a little more every year about how to run in the middle pack.

We were eighth but one thing I see every year is how lucky we are as Americans and the opportunities that are just given to us, not without putting in the work, but I know other people around the world also put in the effort to be the best runners and they don't have the opportunities we have. Our federation, the sponsors on our backs, and the staff that supports us does a phenomenal job every year to get us here, give us the best support so that we are physically and mentally ready to race, and the best equipment on earth. It just reminds me that with the support system surrounding us, the runners, we certainly can't take anything for granted. It doesn't have to be like that and I hope we remember that during our last interval in the freezing rain, or the last climb in our third workout of the week, or the reason we've been in the pool for an hour and a half on saturday morning with a stress fracture, We have support because we work for it and I'm thankful for it..

How many people do you think have had the chance to cut a rug with Doug Logan, the CEO of USATF. That's right, Logan actually got out on the dance floor with the USA team and the rest of the mob. This was by far the best after party I've been to. Amazing full buffet, with beer and wine, decor and lighting that would be more than you could ask for at a formal wedding, and club dj's mixing tracks like it was the hottest nightclub in town. The Jordanians pulled out all the stops to put on an excellent event. And Doug Logan was on the dance floor, I've got pictures, as was the rest of the USA. Whether it was the foreign country, the seclusion of the USA team at the hotel, or whatever reason, this team has meshed better than any other team I've had the chance to run on. On previous trips I've barely gotten to know the juniors or the women's team but this trip has been quite the opposite. It was a pleasure to get to know the other athletes I run with and against better and I know that our relationships will last long after the trip is over.

Last Leg:

Up at 5:45 after going to bed at 2:15am doesn't feel good. We headed to Petra, one of the new 7 wonders of the world. It was awesome. Petra is in Indiana Jones and I can't remember which one. It's the big temple carved into the rock as they ride horses down a slot canyon. Kind of reminded me of Red Rocks in Las Vegas but 10,000 times bigger and with stuff carved in the rock. Is it bad I think I liked the rocks better than the spectacular carved buildings. The rocks are so cool and great for climbing. I just wanted to scramble up everything. And we all rode camels down the canyon. Pretty sweet day. Check out the pictures.

As I type, the bus is quiet. Heads are back and eyes are shut from exhaustion. The late afternoon sun shines horizontally though the bus windows as we rattle down the road. I think the feeling is one of satisfaction from a long week on the other side of the world, edging out of our comfort zones and a race well run.

That feeling of exhaustion is only half over as we're in the middle of the marathon travel adventure that will take us from Amman to Petra for a little end of the the trip sightseeing, back to Amman's Queen Alia Airport and on to home, a >24hr trip to the other side of the world. Yeah, bet my ankles won't be swollen after this trip. Right. Cankles!

The trip was a lot of fun

Senior Men

RESURGENT GEBRMARIAM WINS WORLD CROSS TITLE
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

While it is true that Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam had previously won four individual IAAF World Cross Country Championships medals, the last had come five years ago for the 24 year-old Ethiopian.  Moreover, it was seven years ago he won his only previous title in these championships when he took the junior race in Dublin in 2002, officially as a 17 year-old.

But with a strong kick, he beat an incredible field today in Amman, Jordan, to bring Ethiopia the individual gold, despite not having the services of the injured Kenenisa Bekele.  Emerging from a pack of 14 who still remained in contention after five laps of the six-lap 12 km race, Gebremariam was credited with a two-second victory in 35:02 over Ugandan Moses Kipsiro.  Zersenay Tadese, the Eritrean who prevailed in these championships in the searing heat of Mombassa in 2007, finished third.

Gebremariam's strong finish was not enough to deliver the team title to Ethiopia, but only by a hair's breadth.  Both Kenya and Ethiopia scored 28 points, but Kenya's fourth man, Moses Mosop, finished 11th to Ethiopia's fourth man, Feyisa Lilesa, who was 12th.  It was Kenya's fourth consecutive senior men's team title at these championships.  Eritrea got the bronze medal with 50 points.

Dominance by the Africans in this event remained high: 22 of the top-25 finishers represented African nations while all 25 of the top finishers were born in Africa (three former Kenyans, including Saif Saaeed Shaheen, now run for Qatar).  In Edinburgh last year, the first finisher not born in Africa was American Jorge Torres who finished 19th.

The top European finisher was Spain's Carles Castillejo in 26th place; the top Oceania finisher was Australia's Collis Birmingham in 29th place; and the top North American finisher was the United States' Ryan Vail in 33rd place.

The next, and 38th, IAAF World Cross Country Championships will be held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on March 27, 2010.

1	88	Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam	ETH	35:02	+0:00
2	263	Moses Ndiema Kipsiro	UGA	35:04	+0:02
3	69	Zersenay Tadese	ERI	35:04	+0:02
4	163	Leonard Patrick Komon	KEN	35:05	+0:03
5	87	Habtamu Fikadu	ETH	35:06	+0:04
6	162	Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio	KEN	35:08	+0:06
7	161	Mark Kosgey Kiptoo	KEN	35:11	+0:09
8	182	Chakir Boujattaoui	MAR	35:12	+0:10
9	66	Teklemariam Medhin	ERI	35:14	+0:12
10	92	Hunegnaw Mesfin	ETH	35:16	+0:14
11	166	Moses Cheruiyot Mosop	KEN	35:17	+0:15
12	91	Feyisa Lilesa	ETH	35:22	+0:20
13	210	Saif Saaeed Shaheen	QAT	35:28	+0:26
14	167	Mangata Kimai Ndiwa	KEN	35:32	+0:30
15	93	Dino Sefir	ETH	35:49	+0:47
16	73	Samuel Tsegay	ERI	35:51	+0:49
17	95	Tadese Tola	ETH	35:52	+0:50
18	205	Ahmad Hassan Abdullah	QAT	36:04	+1:02
19	264	Geofrey Kusuro	UGA	36:07	+1:05
20	206	Felix Kikwai Kibore	QAT	36:14	+1:12
21	260	Nicholas Kiprono	UGA	36:16	+1:14
22	65	Samson Kiflemariam	ERI	36:20	+1:18
23	262	Stephen Kiprotich	UGA	36:23	+1:21
24	67	Issak Sibhatu	ERI	36:25	+1:23
25	159	Linus Kipwambok Chumba	KEN	36:29	+1:27
26	77	Carles Castillejo	ESP	36:30	+1:28
27	180	Ahmed Baday	MAR	36:35	+1:33
28	209	Gamal Belal Salem	QAT	36:37	+1:35
29	12	Collis Birmingham	AUS	36:38	+1:36
30	79	Ayad Lamdassem	ESP	36:39	+1:37
31	75	Alemayehu Bezabeh	ESP	36:41	+1:39
32	216	Stephen Mokoka	RSA	36:47	+1:45
33	278	Ryan Vail	USA	36:54	+1:52
34	181	Brahim Beloua	MAR	36:55	+1:53
35	1	Khoudir Aggoune	ALG	36:55	+1:53
36	18	Michael Shelley	AUS	36:58	+1:56
37	267	Robert Curtis	USA	37:00	+1:58
38	186	Mouhssin Moubssit	MAR	37:02	+2:00
39	243	Faustin Musa	TAN	37:03	+2:01
40	273	Max King	USA	37:05	+2:03
41	220	Moorosi Soke	RSA	37:05	+2:03
42	224	Gervais Hakizimana	RWA	37:07	+2:05
43	265	Ben Siwa	UGA	37:07	+2:05
44	225	Felix Ntirenganya	RWA	37:07	+2:05
45	203	José Rocha	POR	37:09	+2:07
46	185	Mourad Marofit	MAR	37:10	+2:08
47	150	Suehiro Ishikawa	JPN	37:11	+2:09
48	228	Jean Baptiste Simukeka	RWA	37:17	+2:15
49	9	Javier Carriqueo	ARG	37:20	+2:18
50	214	Jeffrey Gwebu	RSA	37:21	+2:19
51	219	Tshamano Setone	RSA	37:27	+2:25
52	226	Sylvain Rukundo	RWA	37:29	+2:27
53	80	Francisco Javier López	ESP	37:31	+2:29
54	169	Hussain Jamaan Alhamdah	KSA	37:32	+2:30
55	208	Essa Ismail Rashed	QAT	37:36	+2:34
56	68	Kidane Tadasse	ERI	37:37	+2:35
57	247	Elisante William	TAN	37:38	+2:36
58	277	Edwardo Torres	USA	37:38	+2:36
59	149	Seigo Ikegami	JPN	37:38	+2:36
60	275	Ed Moran	USA	37:42	+2:40
61	128	Gabriele De Nard	ITA	37:43	+2:41
62	76	José Luis Blanco	ESP	37:44	+2:42
63	97	Morhad Amdouni	FRA	37:45	+2:43
64	156	Hiroyoshi Umegae	JPN	37:47	+2:45
65	35	Adilson Dolberth	BRA	37:48	+2:46
66	287	Tonny Wamulwa	ZAM	37:49	+2:47
67	83	Manuel Ángel Penas	ESP	37:49	+2:47
68	123	Mark Kenneally	IRL	37:50	+2:48
69	11	Liam Adams	AUS	37:50	+2:48
70	142	Suliman Alghodran	JOR	37:55	+2:53
71	191	Chauncy Master	MAW	37:57	+2:55
72	202	Licinio Pimentel	POR	37:57	+2:55
73	98	El-Mokhtar Benhari	FRA	37:57	+2:55
74	116	Frank Tickner	GBR	37:58	+2:56
75	271	Brett Gotcher	USA	38:01	+2:59
76	153	Naoki Okamoto	JPN	38:02	+3:00
77	26	Ihar Tsetserukou	BLR	38:04	+3:02
78	117	Andrew Vernon	GBR	38:04	+3:02
79	200	Eduardo Mbengani	POR	38:05	+3:03
80	257	James Kibet	UGA	38:06	+3:04
81	103	Benjamin Malaty	FRA	38:08	+3:06
82	227	Eric Sebahire	RWA	38:11	+3:09
83	199	Manuel Damião	POR	38:11	+3:09
84	38	Claudir Rodrigues	BRA	38:13	+3:11
85	246	Peter Sulle	TAN	38:13	+3:11
86	113	Philip Nicholls	GBR	38:15	+3:13
87	114	Michael Skinner	GBR	38:22	+3:20
88	53	Tao Cheng	CHN	38:29	+3:27
89	131	Methkal Abu Drais	JOR	38:30	+3:28
90	104	Denis Mayaud	FRA	38:33	+3:31
91	112	Lee Merrien	GBR	38:35	+3:33
92	34	Sérgio da Silva	BRA	38:40	+3:38
93	207	Musa Amer Obaid	QAT	38:42	+3:40
94	146	Makoto Fukui	JPN	38:43	+3:41
95	218	Sibusiso Nzima	RSA	39:03	+4:01
96	107	Keith Gerrard	GBR	39:03	+4:01
97	8	Miguel Barzola	ARG	39:09	+4:07
98	170	Abdullah Abdulaziz Aljoud	KSA	39:11	+4:09
99	28	Shepherd Kenatshele	BOT	39:14	+4:12
100	29	Kaelo Mosalagae	BOT	39:22	+4:20
101	286	Richard Kalumba	ZAM	39:23	+4:21
102	101	Yohan Durand	FRA	39:25	+4:23
103	285	Linos Chintali	ZAM	39:28	+4:26
104	121	Sebastian Hallmann	GER	39:29	+4:27
105	46	Saheed Khan	CAN	39:30	+4:28
106	137	Ayman Al Rubaiat	JOR	39:30	+4:28
107	222	Kgosi Tsosane	RSA	39:31	+4:29
108	61	Abdel Fattah Zaki Abdelhalem	EGY	39:34	+4:32
109	45	Alex Genest	CAN	39:34	+4:32
110	44	Joël Bourgeois	CAN	39:42	+4:40
111	10	Sevak Yeghikyan	ARM	39:43	+4:41
112	59	Ahmed Hassein Hassein	EGY	39:44	+4:42
113	30	Ramoseka Raobine	BOT	39:54	+4:52
114	250	Rached Amor	TUN	40:02	+5:00
115	27	Unaswi Dambe	BOT	40:14	+5:12
116	55	Xiangqian Lin	CHN	40:15	+5:13
117	144	Hussein Momani	JOR	40:21	+5:19
118	102	Hassan Hirt	FRA	40:29	+5:27
119	248	Sotyvoldy Khaitov	TJK	40:34	+5:32
120	56	Yovanny Adames	DOM	40:53	+5:51
121	140	Hamza Al-Madahna	JOR	40:54	+5:52
122	57	Ahmed Bakry	EGY	41:12	+6:10
123	177	Khaled Giaeda	LBA	41:24	+6:22
124	58	Hassan Marzouk Eisa	EGY	41:35	+6:33
125	126	Mahmood Alrashedi	IRQ	41:38	+6:36
126	51	Derek Nakluski	CAN	41:40	+6:38
127	251	Raouf Boubaker	TUN	41:55	+6:53
128	120	Jeiran Khoperia	GEO	42:02	+7:00
129	238	Ahmad Alibrahim	SYR	42:17	+7:15
130	239	Ahmad Aljafal	SYR	42:34	+7:32
131	193	Qais Salim Al-Mahroqi	OMA	42:40	+7:38
132	60	Mohammad Moharm Hmadallah	EGY	42:44	+7:42
133	229	Antoine Simon Labiche	SEY	42:50	+7:48
134	124	Noori Al-Darraji	IRQ	43:05	+8:03
135	20	Samir Pashayev	AZE	43:16	+8:14
136	127	Ali Salih	IRQ	43:27	+8:25
137	125	Abdulzahra Al-Mohammedawi	IRQ	44:29	+9:27
.	31	Gladson Barbosa	BRA	DNF	.
.	33	Daniel da Silva	BRA	DNF	.
.	139	Bashar Mahmoud Irheil Al-Kufrini	JOR	DNF	.
.	189	Abdelrhani El Aouad	MAR	DNF	.
.	196	Abdel Naser Mohd. Awajna	PLE	DNF	.
.	201	Hélder Ornelas	POR	DNF	.
.	204	Rui Pedro Silva	POR	DNF	.
.	279	Marvin Blanco	VEN	DNF	.
.	244	Ezekiel Jafari Ngimba	TAN	DNS	.
.	245	Samwel Shauri	TAN	DNS	.
.	288	Jonathan Chinyoka	ZIM	DNS	.
.	289	Wirimai Juwawo	ZIM	DNS	.
.	290	Oliver Kandiero	ZIM	DNS	.
.	291	Cuthbert Nyasango	ZIM	DNS	.
.	292	Elmore Sibanda	ZIM	DNS	.
.	293	Nkosiyazi Sibanda	ZIM	DNS

Senior Women

KENYAN KIPLAGAT CAPS CROSS COUNTRY SEASON WITH WORLD TITLE
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

Kenyan Florence Jebet Kiplagat, who won two invitational cross country meetings in Spain this year plus the Kenyan Trials, capped her season with a victory at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan, today.  It was the first significant title for the 22 year-old athlete.

Kiplagat did not lead for any of the first three laps, but always stayed within striking distance of the leaders.  Seventeen women were still within one second of the lead at the halfway point of the 8 km race (12:36), and Kenyans Pauline Korikwiang and Lineth Chepkurui were controlling the pace with New Zealander Kim Smith.  Both Korikwiang and Smith fell back in the third lap, and Ethiopia's Meselech Melkamu led last year's bronze medalist, Linet Masai of Kenya, and 2005 junior champion Gelete Burka of Ethiopia through 6 km.

Saving her best for last, Kiplagat managed to come from behind and put a three second cushion between her and Masai by the finish line, hitting the tape in 26:13 to Masai's 26:16.  Melkamu held on for third another three seconds back.  Early leaders Korikwiang and Smith finished 11th and 13th, respectively.

The coveted team title went easily to Kenya, who finished second last year to arch rival Ethiopia.  The Kenyans placed their women 1-2-4-7 to score a scant 14 points.  Ethiopia got second with 28, and Portugal was a surprising third with 72 points (Ana Dulce Félix and Sara Moreira finished 15th and 16th, respectively).

The Netherlands' Hilda Kibet was the top European finisher in sixth place, and the top North American was Julie Culley of the United States in 21st (the USA was the 5th place team).

1	129	Florence Jebet Kiplagat	KEN	26:13	+0:00
2	131	Linet Chepkwemoi Masai	KEN	26:16	+0:03
3	73	Meselech Melkamu	ETH	26:19	+0:06
4	126	Lineth Chepkurui	KEN	26:23	+0:10
5	64	Wude Ayalew	ETH	26:23	+0:10
6	152	Hilda Kibet	NED	26:43	+0:30
7	133	Ann Karindi Mwangi	KEN	26:49	+0:36
8	65	Gelete Burka	ETH	26:58	+0:45
9	26	Maryam Yusuf Jamal	BRN	27:00	+0:47
10	125	Iness Chepkesis Chenonge	KEN	27:00	+0:47
11	130	Pauline Chemning Korikwiang	KEN	27:03	+0:50
12	72	Deska Mamitu	ETH	27:04	+0:51
13	154	Kimberley Smith	NZL	27:05	+0:52
14	67	Sentayehu Ejigu	ETH	27:40	+1:27
15	164	Ana Dulce Félix	POR	27:42	+1:29
16	167	Sara Moreira	POR	27:54	+1:41
17	16	Lisa Jane Weightman	AUS	27:59	+1:46
18	120	Yuko Shimizu	JPN	28:02	+1:49
19	163	Ana Dias	POR	28:05	+1:52
20	61	Judith Plá	ESP	28:08	+1:55
21	205	Julie Culley	USA	28:08	+1:55
22	168	Analía Rosa	POR	28:10	+1:57
23	145	Siham Hilali	MAR	28:14	+2:01
24	55	Alessandra Aguilar	ESP	28:18	+2:05
25	192	Sarah Ramadhan	TAN	28:18	+2:05
26	13	Lara Tamsett	AUS	28:19	+2:06
27	142	Bouchra Chaabi	MAR	28:19	+2:06
28	23	Mimi Belete	BRN	28:21	+2:08
29	175	Lebogang Phalula	RSA	28:23	+2:10
30	70	Koren Jelela	ETH	28:29	+2:16
31	58	Diana Martín	ESP	28:31	+2:18
32	4	Kenza Dahmani	ALG	28:33	+2:20
33	206	Delilah Di Crescenzo	USA	28:34	+2:21
34	143	Salima El Ouali Alami	MAR	28:35	+2:22
35	79	Élodie Olivarès	FRA	28:37	+2:24
36	207	Rebecca Donaghue	USA	28:37	+2:24
37	30	Catherine Cormier	CAN	28:41	+2:28
38	93	Stephanie Twell	GBR	28:46	+2:33
39	174	Dina Lebo Phalula	RSA	28:46	+2:33
40	210	Kathy Newberry	USA	28:50	+2:37
41	196	Habiba Ghribi	TUN	28:50	+2:37
42	59	Jacqueline Martín	ESP	28:51	+2:38
43	215	Yeisy Álvarez	VEN	28:51	+2:38
44	41	Yingying Zhu	CHN	28:53	+2:40
45	121	Kazuka Wakatsuki	JPN	28:54	+2:41
46	147	Maria Laghrissi	MAR	28:55	+2:42
47	100	Federica Dal Ri	ITA	28:55	+2:42
48	117	Korei Omata	JPN	28:56	+2:43
49	82	Hatti Dean	GBR	29:00	+2:47
50	151	Agnes Chikwakwa	MAW	29:03	+2:50
51	88	Jane Potter	GBR	29:04	+2:51
52	15	Melinda Vernon	AUS	29:04	+2:51
53	187	Claudette Mukasakindi	RWA	29:05	+2:52
54	115	Chisa Nishio	JPN	29:05	+2:52
55	92	Sarah Tunstall	GBR	29:07	+2:54
56	179	Johanna Hermiena van Schalkwyk	RSA	29:07	+2:54
57	136	Victoria Poludina	KGZ	29:16	+3:03
58	95	Hannah Whitmore	GBR	29:19	+3:06
59	10	Erin Densham	AUS	29:23	+3:10
60	40	Xiaoqin Dong	CHN	29:23	+3:10
61	97	Konstadína Kefalá	GRE	29:29	+3:16
62	49	Elsa Medhane	ERI	29:30	+3:17
63	46	Letekidan Gebreyohannes	ERI	29:33	+3:20
64	165	Elisabete Lopes	POR	29:36	+3:23
65	98	Linda Byrne	IRL	29:36	+3:23
66	22	Sueli Silva	BRA	29:38	+3:25
67	37	Chantell Widney	CAN	29:45	+3:32
68	116	Yuki Numata	JPN	29:48	+3:35
69	203	Samia Akbar	USA	29:51	+3:38
70	51	Eden Tesfalem	ERI	29:55	+3:42
71	48	Ezgamen Kahsay	ERI	30:04	+3:51
72	111	Tomoka Inadomi	JPN	30:07	+3:54
73	21	Rosângela Faria	BRA	30:18	+4:05
74	173	Tebogo Masehla	RSA	30:24	+4:11
75	212	Lindsey Scherf	USA	30:27	+4:14
76	38	Chantelle Wilder	CAN	30:42	+4:29
77	193	Jackline Sakilu	TAN	30:44	+4:31
78	170	Myrette Filmalter	RSA	30:57	+4:44
79	44	Yirgalem Gebrekidan Beraki	ERI	31:10	+4:57
80	12	Tara Palm	AUS	31:23	+5:10
81	29	Marilyn Arsenault	CAN	31:37	+5:24
82	20	Adriana Aparecida da Silva	BRA	31:40	+5:27
83	161	Mariola Konowalska	POL	32:00	+5:47
84	190	Asha Abdalla Khatib	TAN	33:17	+7:04
85	96	Giuli Dekanadze	GEO	33:18	+7:05
86	42	Rehab Mohammad Ahmad	EGY	36:14	+10:01
87	194	Nadima Mirzoeva	TJK	38:00	+11:47
88	138	Nagah Zenatni	LBA	38:50	+12:37
.	35	Rachelle Malette	CAN	DNF	.
.	57	Cristina Jordán	ESP	DNF	.
.	77	Annemari Sandell-Hyrvärinen	FIN	DNF	.
.	91	Sonia Thomas	GBR	DNF	.
.	146	Laila Hmatou	MAR	DNF	.
.	149	Hanane Ouhaddou	MAR	DNF	.
.	166	Inês Monteiro	POR	DNF	.
.	195	Safa Aissaoui	TUN	DNF	.
.	191	Zakia Mrisho Mohamed	TAN	DNS	.

Junior Boys

ABSHERO MOVES FROM SILVER TO GOLD AT IAAF WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

Ethiopian Ayele Abshero, last year's silver medalist in the men's junior race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, moved up to the top of the podium today at this year's championships in Amman, Jordan.

As usual, the race went out fast with 18 men passing 2 km in 5:14 to 5:15.  Abshero was at the back of that back which was led by Eritrea's Goitom Kifle.  By 4 km (11:09), 11 men remained in contention, and Abshero was now running 8th.  Kenyan Titus Kipjumba Mbishei, last year's fifth place finisher, was leading the race.  Mbishei managed to drop everybody but five rivals by the end of the third lap (16:55), and Abshero had now moved up to fourth.  That put the Ethiopian in perfect position to win in 23:26, four seconds up on Mbishei.  Ugandan Moses Kibet got the bronze another five seconds back.

Mbishei will still leave Amman with a gold medal, however.  His Kenyan team finished 2-4-5-9 to take the team title over Ethiopia, 20 to 22 points.  Eritrea, whose top finisher (Goitom) was only 14th, managed to get the bronze with 72 points, ten fewer than Uganda.

Outside the African nations, the United States had the best showing.  Oklahoma State's German Fernandez was the top non-African finisher in 11th place, despite suffering from a stress reaction in his foot which had him in a boot during the week.  Stanford's Chris Derrick finished 15th giving the USA a fifth place team finish.

1	85	Ayele Abshero	ETH	23:26	+0:00
2	165	Titus Kipjumba Mbishei	KEN	23:30	+0:04
3	258	Moses Kibet	UGA	23:35	+0:09
4	168	Paul Kipngetich Tanui	KEN	23:35	+0:09
5	164	Japheth Kipyegon Korir	KEN	23:36	+0:10
6	96	Atalay Yirsaw	ETH	23:38	+0:12
7	86	Gashaw Biftu	ETH	23:44	+0:18
8	94	Debebe Woldsenbet	ETH	23:52	+0:26
9	160	John Kipkoech	KEN	24:00	+0:34
10	158	John Kemboi Cheruiyot	KEN	24:08	+0:42
11	270	German Fernandez	USA	24:13	+0:47
12	24	Dieudonné Nsengiyuma	BDI	24:16	+0:50
13	157	Charles Kibet Chepkurui	KEN	24:17	+0:51
14	64	Goitom Kifle	ERI	24:18	+0:52
15	268	Chris Derrick	USA	24:20	+0:54
16	90	Legese Lamiso	ETH	24:20	+0:54
17	256	Dickson Huru	UGA	24:21	+0:55
18	62	Mulue Andom	ERI	24:23	+0:57
19	63	Nassir Dawud	ERI	24:32	+1:06
20	187	Youssef Nasir	MAR	24:33	+1:07
21	70	Merhawi Tadesse	ERI	24:34	+1:08
22	21	Olivier Iradukunda	BDI	24:35	+1:09
23	54	Zicheng Li	CHN	24:38	+1:12
24	14	Ryan Gregson	AUS	24:40	+1:14
25	266	Timothy Toroitich	UGA	24:43	+1:17
26	40	Alemu Bekele	BRN	24:44	+1:18
27	151	Akinobu Murasawa	JPN	24:46	+1:20
28	42	Edwin Chebii Kimurer	BRN	24:49	+1:23
29	19	Harry Summers	AUS	24:52	+1:26
30	276	Luke Puskedra	USA	24:53	+1:27
31	188	Adil Rached	MAR	24:54	+1:28
32	89	Yetwale Kende	ETH	24:59	+1:33
33	71	Gebrebrhan Tesfamariam	ERI	25:01	+1:35
34	72	Abraham Tewelde	ERI	25:03	+1:37
35	234	Adam Haroon	SUD	25:08	+1:42
36	13	Richard Everest	AUS	25:16	+1:50
37	255	Bernard Kibekei Cheptoch	UGA	25:19	+1:53
38	261	Ronald Kiprotich	UGA	25:19	+1:53
39	25	Sylvain Nyandwi	BDI	25:25	+1:59
40	155	Wataru Ueno	JPN	25:30	+2:04
41	41	Isaac Kemboi Chelimo	BRN	25:31	+2:05
42	148	Shota Hattori	JPN	25:32	+2:06
43	179	Azzeddine Feraoun	MAR	25:32	+2:06
44	152	Kazuto Nishiike	JPN	25:39	+2:13
45	145	Kenta Chiba	JPN	25:44	+2:18
46	17	Brett Robinson	AUS	25:47	+2:21
47	213	Mfumaneko Fadane	RSA	25:51	+2:25
48	269	Patrick Dupont	USA	25:52	+2:26
49	190	Hicham Sigueni	MAR	25:56	+2:30
50	223	Andrey Dmitriev	RUS	25:58	+2:32
51	183	El Mahjoub Dazza	MAR	25:58	+2:32
52	272	Ryan Hill	USA	26:04	+2:38
53	217	Joel Mmone	RSA	26:05	+2:39
54	184	Yahya El Mekkaoui	MAR	26:06	+2:40
55	81	Mario Mola	ESP	26:09	+2:43
56	49	Nyjal Majock	CAN	26:12	+2:46
57	43	Mohammed Ahmed	CAN	26:13	+2:47
58	105	Tom Farrell	GBR	26:13	+2:47
59	5	Ameur Maouni	ALG	26:13	+2:47
60	7	Moussa Ziane	ALG	26:15	+2:49
61	37	Éderson Pereira	BRA	26:17	+2:51
62	274	Francisco Medrano	USA	26:18	+2:52
63	2	Boubakar El Seddik Becharef	ALG	26:19	+2:53
64	236	Hassan Ismail	SUD	26:22	+2:56
65	212	Sityhilo Diko	RSA	26:24	+2:58
66	235	Diaaeldin Hassan Ahmed	SUD	26:30	+3:04
67	74	Antonio Abadía	ESP	26:30	+3:04
68	129	Antonio Guzzi	ITA	26:31	+3:05
69	16	David Ricketts	AUS	26:32	+3:06
70	4	Sami Lafi	ALG	26:32	+3:06
71	130	Dario Santoro	ITA	26:33	+3:07
72	294	Folavia Sehohle	RSA	26:36	+3:10
73	147	Yutaro Fukushi	JPN	26:38	+3:12
74	192	Sondre Nordstad Moen	NOR	26:39	+3:13
75	99	Vincent Boucena	FRA	26:42	+3:16
76	3	Mohammed El Amin Cheouaf	ALG	26:43	+3:17
77	198	José Costa	POR	26:43	+3:17
78	78	Aitor Fernández	ESP	26:46	+3:20
79	233	Adam Abdelmunaim	SUD	26:48	+3:22
80	47	Aleksandr Kuternin	CAN	26:52	+3:26
81	282	Nabil Mohammed Al-Garbi	YEM	26:55	+3:29
82	82	Martín Ortiz	ESP	26:58	+3:32
83	115	Ronnie Sparke	GBR	26:59	+3:33
84	253	Mohamed Saad	TUN	27:03	+3:37
85	119	James Wilkinson	GBR	27:04	+3:38
86	15	Joshua Johnson	AUS	27:08	+3:42
87	283	Ali Mohammed Al-Khawlani	YEM	27:08	+3:42
88	100	Simon Denissel	FRA	27:14	+3:48
89	215	Windy Jonas	RSA	27:17	+3:51
90	109	Jonathan Hay	GBR	27:17	+3:51
91	50	John Paul Malette	CAN	27:18	+3:52
92	232	Hamid Abdelghani	SUD	27:19	+3:53
93	48	James Leakos	CAN	27:20	+3:54
94	39	Valdison Silva	BRA	27:25	+3:59
95	84	Jaime Villa	ESP	27:27	+4:01
96	284	Waleed Saleh Elayah	YEM	27:30	+4:04
97	237	Mubarak Musa	SUD	27:32	+4:06
98	221	Vuyisile Tshoba	RSA	27:37	+4:11
99	52	Mattias Wolter	CAN	27:39	+4:13
100	22	Anselme Manirazika	BDI	27:42	+4:16
101	280	Ali Hussein Al-Abidi	YEM	27:49	+4:23
102	6	Anes Traikia	ALG	28:03	+4:37
103	138	Salameh Al-Hayawi	JOR	28:04	+4:38
104	197	Maamoun Bali	PLE	28:20	+4:54
105	281	Waleed Mohammed Al-Abidi	YEM	28:29	+5:03
106	143	Hamza Barhumah	JOR	28:31	+5:05
107	178	Fares Hassan	LBA	28:42	+5:16
108	134	Yazan Abunaja	JOR	28:53	+5:27
109	133	Ra'ed Abumharab	JOR	29:00	+5:34
110	135	Motasem Akkawi	JOR	29:26	+6:00
111	175	Omar Mourad	KUW	30:59	+7:33
112	173	Abdullateef Al Rweih	KUW	31:31	+8:05
113	23	Pierre-Célestin Nihorimbere	BDI	31:54	+8:28
114	172	Mohamad Nodum	KUW	32:01	+8:35
115	171	Manea Alajmi	KUW	33:16	+9:50
116	174	Hamad Salem	KUW	33:39	+10:13
117	176	Abdullah Rabeaa	KUW	34:02	+10:36
.	108	Nick Goolab	GBR	DNF	.
.	110	Simon Horsfield	GBR	DNF	.
.	141	Hasan Al-Najjar	JOR	DNF	.
.	249	Bilel Aloui	TUN	DNF

Junior Girls

GENZEBE DIBABA DEFENDS WORLD CROSS JUNIOR TITLE
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

Genzebe Dibaba, a younger sister of Olympic medalists Tirunesh and Ejegayehu Dibaba, defended her junior title today as the IAAF World Cross Country Championships kicked off in Amman, Jordan.

Dibaba, who turned 18 last month, was running in a huge lead pack after the first lap of the 6 km race, surrounded by her Ethiopian teammates and her challengers from Kenya, including Mercy Cherono, last year's world junior 3000m champion.  But by the 4 km mark, Dibaba had a four second lead on Cherono, while the rest of the pack was another nine seconds back.  Cherono was able to stay within striking distance, but could not get the best of Dibaba who came home first in 20:14.  Cherono got the silver in 20:17, while her Kenyan teammate Jackline Chepngeno took the bronze in 20:27.

With athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya taking the top ten spots, there was a very close battle between those nations for the team title.  Both Ethiopia and Kenya scored 18 points, but Ethiopia was given the gold medal for the second consecutive year because their last scoring athlete, Emebet Anteneh, finished seventh to Kenya's top scoring athlete, Hilda Chepkemoi Tanui, who finished eighth.  Japan got the bronze with 76 points.

The top non-African finisher was Australian Emily Brichacek who finished 11th; the top European was Britain's Lauren Howarth who finished 13th, while the top North American was Neely Spence of the United States who finished 19th.

1	66	Genzebe Dibaba	ETH	20:14	+0:00
2	128	Mercy Cherono	KEN	20:17	+0:03
3	127	Jackline Chepngeno	KEN	20:27	+0:13
4	68	Frehiwat Goshu	ETH	20:34	+0:20
5	134	Nelly Chebet Ngeiywo	KEN	20:36	+0:22
6	76	Sule Utura	ETH	20:38	+0:24
7	63	Emebet Anteneh	ETH	20:42	+0:28
8	135	Hilda Chepkemoi Tanui	KEN	20:49	+0:35
9	74	Meseret Mengistu	ETH	20:52	+0:38
10	124	Jackline Chebii	KEN	21:01	+0:47
11	8	Emily Brichacek	AUS	21:02	+0:48
12	75	Tsega Gelaw	ETH	21:11	+0:57
13	83	Lauren Howarth	GBR	21:14	+1:00
14	89	Charlotte Purdue	GBR	21:23	+1:09
15	27	Gladys Jerotich Kibiwot	BRN	21:25	+1:11
16	132	Delvine Relin Meringor	KEN	21:27	+1:13
17	112	Nanaka Izawa	JPN	21:27	+1:13
18	110	Erika Ikeda	JPN	21:30	+1:16
19	213	Neely Spence	USA	21:33	+1:19
20	114	Asami Kato	JPN	21:33	+1:19
21	118	Aki Otagiri	JPN	21:40	+1:26
22	119	Chitose Shibata	JPN	21:47	+1:33
23	24	Tejitu Daba	BRN	21:47	+1:33
24	25	Shitaye Eshete	BRN	21:50	+1:36
25	80	Kate Avery	GBR	21:53	+1:39
26	204	Ashley Brasovan	USA	21:55	+1:41
27	78	Clémence Calvin	FRA	22:01	+1:47
28	45	Tsige Gebrebrhan	ERI	22:02	+1:48
29	47	Helen Hayelom	ERI	22:07	+1:53
30	87	Lillian Partridge	GBR	22:10	+1:56
31	14	Chloe Tighe	AUS	22:11	+1:57
32	39	Baoqin Bai	CHN	22:11	+1:57
33	90	Louise Small	GBR	22:13	+1:59
34	208	Alexandra Dunne	USA	22:15	+2:01
35	153	Nicki Maria McFadzien	NZL	22:15	+2:01
36	113	Emi Kameyama	JPN	22:15	+2:01
37	185	Elena Sedova	RUS	22:17	+2:03
38	172	Maxine Heine-Wacker	RSA	22:24	+2:10
39	18	Francine Nibaruta	BDI	22:25	+2:11
40	184	Tatiana Prorokova	RUS	22:26	+2:12
41	31	Chelsea Graham	CAN	22:29	+2:15
42	102	Valeria Roffino	ITA	22:30	+2:16
43	211	Emily Pritt	USA	22:31	+2:17
44	171	Anna Catharina Gildenhuys	RSA	22:32	+2:18
45	52	Kedish Tesfay	ERI	22:33	+2:19
46	19	Jana van Wabeke	BEL	22:35	+2:21
47	11	Hollie Emery	AUS	22:39	+2:25
48	183	Marina Petrova	RUS	22:40	+2:26
49	36	Caroline Pfister	CAN	22:42	+2:28
50	198	Narjes Issaoui	TUN	22:44	+2:30
51	50	Tiegssti Negassi	ERI	22:44	+2:30
52	162	Daniela Cunha	POR	22:44	+2:30
53	182	Liudmila Lebedeva	RUS	22:44	+2:30
54	181	Aleksandra Kudryashova	RUS	22:47	+2:33
55	186	Jeanne d'Arc Mukakigeli	RWA	22:50	+2:36
56	157	Charo Inga	PER	22:52	+2:38
57	188	Adeline Musabyimana	RWA	22:53	+2:39
58	6	Hadda Souadia	ALG	22:54	+2:40
59	199	Safa Jammeli	TUN	22:55	+2:41
60	43	Embeitey Belay	ERI	22:58	+2:44
61	150	Fatima-Zahra Ouhrisse	MAR	23:03	+2:49
62	99	Lucia Coli	ITA	23:06	+2:52
63	60	Sandra Mosquera	ESP	23:08	+2:54
64	214	Sara Vaughn	USA	23:09	+2:55
65	9	Tamara Carvolth	AUS	23:14	+3:00
66	141	Hafida Benjilali	MAR	23:16	+3:02
67	7	Nawal Yahi	ALG	23:19	+3:05
68	144	Habiba Hammam	MAR	23:22	+3:08
69	148	Fatima Ouezzani	MAR	23:23	+3:09
70	28	Stephanie Aldea	CAN	23:25	+3:11
71	5	Nabila Sifi	ALG	23:27	+3:13
72	169	Nandipha Dywili	RSA	23:37	+3:23
73	62	Estefanía Tobal	ESP	23:39	+3:25
74	32	Tamara Jewett	CAN	23:42	+3:28
75	86	Laura Park	GBR	23:45	+3:31
76	177	Ashleigh Schnettler	RSA	23:49	+3:35
77	139	Yamna Ambarki	MAR	23:53	+3:39
78	140	Hayat Amri	MAR	23:57	+3:43
79	176	Letitia Saayman	RSA	24:09	+3:55
80	17	Bénisse Inamahoro	BDI	24:10	+3:56
81	180	Elena Gerasimova	RUS	24:17	+4:03
82	56	Tania Carretero	ESP	24:20	+4:06
83	178	Zinhle Sinqe	RSA	24:27	+4:13
84	108	Ala'Ziad Khalifah	JOR	24:32	+4:18
85	201	Marwa Nasri	TUN	24:58	+4:44
86	3	Nabila Chaib Draa	ALG	25:00	+4:46
87	2	Hassiba Bioudi	ALG	25:10	+4:56
88	1	Naïma Bakaddour	ALG	25:19	+5:05
89	202	Amira Saghraoui	TUN	25:28	+5:14
90	160	Katarzyna Broniatowska	POL	25:53	+5:39
91	105	Rasha Ayoub	JOR	26:13	+5:59
92	104	Ghurour Aldeghemat	JOR	26:20	+6:06
93	103	Nahida Albawwat	JOR	27:02	+6:48
94	137	Naama Barka	LBA	28:48	+8:34
.	33	Justine Johnson	CAN	DNF	.
.	34	Geneviève Lalonde	CAN	DNF	.
.	107	Esra'a Ikhlawi	JOR	DNF	.
.	109	Faten Nemrawy	JOR	DNF	.
.	54	Nazret Weldu	ERI	DNS

Thursday March 26th - Well no Govornator last night, just Antonio Banderas. What a day. 4am prayer, practice, roman ruins, downtown, mosques, taken by a cabbie, cabbie redeemed, now here. Here I am. Typing my day. Lets do it backwards. Not an hour ago I was frantically searching through my room for my camera I'd managed to hang onto all day. I had it when I got out of the cab right? Not right? Went downstairs to see if it was at the front desk and who do I see but the cabbie that had just sort of hustled us out of a bit more than we should have paid (our attache, Adam, said we were "very generous" when we explained it to him) with my camera. I quickly decided that he was a great guy and I was more than willing to pay him more. Adam even professed how surprised he was. So turns out that the cabbie was a pretty good guy and after all the cab ride home with the tour of King Abdullah Mosque was worth something a little extra. We, (Ryan, Bobbie, and I) had picked him up at the top of the Roman ruins and he had volunteered to take us to the mosque and show us around. He actually gave us a decent tour, took us inside showed us around and talked to the guards and stuff. Coming from downtown Amman the mosque was the last sight we needed to check off. The ruins we had come from had the best view of the city so we took the 10 min walk up the stairs from downtown and the old Roman Amphitheater. They just don't make them like they used to. 

After almost 2000 years a concert or play in this amphitheater would be quite a sight and an experience you wouldn't soon forget. It's steep enough that you wouldn't want to be inebriated in the cheap seats and "uncoordinated" people would be better off closer to the stage. 

A tour of downtown gave us the real flavor of Amman. A window shopping, souvenir shopping, turkish coffee drinking, dining on hummus and pita,  being mobbed by 10 yr olds cultural experience like no other. And that was just the afternoon. 

The morning was spent under more mundane activities. I got my morning run of 50min with strides in and I think my legs are back under me although it's hard to tell with just an easier run. We'll just have to wait until Saturday to find out. Had a beautiful sunny but crisp day for running and some field lounging. 

To finish off the morning we had a round of drug testing and I was lucky to escape this year, although it's not that bad since all the pre-race tests are blood tests. 

For those of you who think these trips aren't taken seriously and they're all just fun and playing in mud, well that's for tomorrow and Saturday. Gotta have a little fun while you're waiting for your legs to come around.  Time now to get down to bidness though, going to sleep, tomorrow is the course preview and rest and focus. Ayna ajedu al merhaad!

Wednesday March 25th - Spa day! Much needed too. Trip to the Dead Sea today after practice. Dude, I float. I've never floated, I sink like a rock usually. It was awesome, well novel anyway. And the mud there is heavenly. Greatest mud pit I've been in ever, at least since I used to play in the mud with the neighbor kid down the road.  The Dead Sea was pretty interesting. There's salt deposits on the edge of the sea, like big chunks, weird. The water's about 33% salt, 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. If you stick your finger in the water and then stick it on your tongue it's like a toxic chemical salt taste...maybe I shouldn't have done that. We stopped and took some pictures with a camel too. Interesting day. 

Anyway, back to training. Did a 70min mud run yesterday. Oh it finally stopped raining today too. But the run yesterday was capped off with 10 wet strides. I think that mud run was a bit more than I bargained for, I was pretty tied up, either from the mud run or just the plane trip. The workout today was 10 X 1min w/ 1min rest. Felt ok but had no endurance and legs just felt tight going up hill. I'm hoping I got it out and it'll be better tomorrow. Everybody felt that way so I feel a bit better. Did another short run around town in the pm to shake out. So that's that. 

Tomorrow it's "downtown" with Neil Young and right now we're vegging out to the Fox movie channel and the Govornator in Collateral Damage. Araka. Tosbeho. 

Went for a short shake out run around town last night when we got in, I won't bore you with details except to say if you ran around here you'd get pretty agile, nothings flat, there's plants and trees and drop offs in the middle of the side walks and cars honking at you in the road. Not exactly runner friendly.

Amman is just like any other city for the most part. Everything here looks exactly the same, white washed limestone buildings are everywhere and I'm sure I'll get lost eventually on a run. I'll get a picture. We're staying at a questionably four star hotel, it's nice though, and the food is great. Mostly typical mid eastern food, hummus, pita, and a lot of fresh veggies (lots of peppers and cucumbers), and some international food like pancakes. But if you're in a foreign country ya gotta try everything otherwise you might as well stay home, right? So we're planning a trip to the Dead Sea tomorrow, a trip downtown on Thursday, and a trip to Petra on Sunday after the race.

One thing that's been a little disappointing is that we aren't at a hotel with any of the other teams except the UK team. Usually we've been able to eat and hang out with the rest of the competitors but I'm guessing there isn't a hotel or venue big enough for everybody. It's always been interesting to be able to eat with everyone from around the world in Edinburgh last year and Japan a few years ago. But so it goes, I'll get a lot of culture just being around the city of Amman. Oh and being next to a mosque has definite disadvantages at 4am and 6am as I am currently listening to the blaring 3pm prayer quite clearly from inside my hotel room with the windows closed...and I've smoked two packs of Marlboro's today already.

Amman, Jordan