Altitude training has Cragg high in confidence

ALISTAIR CRAGG has made no secret of the fact that he fancies his chances in tomorrow’s SPAR European cross-country championships at Santry Demesne and his arrival yesterday added to the air of excitement that surrounds the Irish camp, situated just a stone’s throw from what is a resplendent course.

He arrived in Dublin from his altitude training camp at Mammoth Lakes, where he has been snowed in all week. “We had two feet of snow the other night and then three feet before I left,” he said. “My dog, an English bull terrier, just disappears in the snow when he goes outside.”

By last night everyone was welcoming his safe arrival. He has the talent to mix it with the best athletes in the field and his times over 3,000m (7:32.49), 5,000m (13:07.10) and 10,000m (27:39.55 – national record) match those of Mo Farrah and surpass Sergiy Lebid who are the two favourites.

“It all depends on what’s in my legs,” he said. “I only slept for about two hours but I can make up for that.

“It was a gamble coming in so late but, coming from altitude, it’s best to come in early or late. It’s a chance you take. You can feel good immediately after you come down from altitude and then take a dip and feel good again about two or three weeks later and that’s the gamble I’m taking.

“We have a very good team with Martin (Fagan), Andrew Ledwith, Mark Kenneally, Sean Connolly and Mick Clohisey and we can win medals so it’s important for myself and everyone else to run well.”

Cragg’s first and only appearance in the European cross-country championships was in Croatia back in 2002 when he finished eighth and one of his team-mates, Mark Kenneally, recalls the day. “He was amazing that day,” he said. “We got over there on the Friday, raced on the Sunday and Alistair didn’t get out of bed on the Saturday. He was sick as a dog yet he came out the next day and ran an unbelievable race.”

Ray Treacy, brother of two time world cross-country champion, John Treacy, and now a leading coach in the US, agreed that Cragg has the talent to mix it with the likes of Farrah and Lebid but said he must get it right on the day.

He said Irish cross-country running needs a boost and there were indications that it could come tomorrow with talented athletes like Cragg, Martin Fagan, Andrew Ledwith, who he described as a big day performer during his time under Mick Byrne at Iona College, and Mark Kenneally in the senior men’s field.

“Irish cross-country running needs a boost right now and this could be the day,” he said. “I talked about it at Cork IT last night. In our day we trained hard. Even in Leevale we did not just have one coach. We had three or four different groups. Hugh Parnell had a group, Dick Hodgins had a group, Mick Harte had a group, Donie (Walsh) had his own group. We had four groups in the club all competing against each other and we were all doing 100m miles a week – all working 40 hours a week – and it did not faze us one bit.

“But the whole of Europe moved away from that in the 80s and early 90s and they took a big step backwards.

“There were British guys running under 28 minutes for 10,000m in the 70s and now, apart from Mo Farrah, they have nobody that can get close to that 30 years later.”