Mountain runners
aim for Optus Australian Championships
Athletics Australia
16 March 2000 - The Australian Mountain Running Championships will take place this Saturday 18 March on Mt Coree in the ACT.
The men's mountain running championship over 12kms should see a tremendous contest between reigning title holder Bruce Hogg of Queensland, former title holders Paul Crake and David Osmond of the ACT, former Australian junior cross country and track champion Daniel Green from NSW, and South Australia-based French mountain runner Jean-Michel Coulomb.
Green, Crake and Osmond are all in top form. Green set a new course record up Mt Ainslie in Canberra last week, Crake slashed 15 seconds off his own course record in the Empire State Building Run Up in February and Osmond had comfortable wins in the Crackenback Challenge and Kosciusko Classic at Thredbo in January.
Hogg arrived in Canberra early in the week to run over the course and acclimatise, while Coulomb, who was third up Mt Wellington in Tasmania two years ago, is determined to improve on that placing.
The Australian women's championship over 7kms also boasts a strong field seeking selection for Australia in the World Championship in Bergen, Germany in September.
Reigning champion Angela Sheean of NSW who is the women's course record holder up the Empire State Building will face Tasmania's Louise Fairfax who was fourth in the 1992 World Championship.
They will clash with the ACT's in-form Fiona Jorgensen, who is a three time Australian representative, and Victoria's Tania-Saree Warwick, a former Australian championship silver medallist and strong national class runner in cross country, road running and track competition.
Locality, course maps and other information may be found at
the Australian Mountain Running Association (AMRA) Internet site:
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/mountainrunning
This information has been provided by Athletics Australia.