IT’S THAT time of year again, when the leaves start falling from the trees and the cross-country spikes start getting dug out of the cupboard.
For so long, winter racing over the mud and hills has been at the very heart of running in the United Kingdom. So many are introduced to athletics and first fall in love with the sport – or develop a love-hate relationship with it – through cross country.
Many of the finest athletes, Andrew Butchart included, swear by it and acknowledge that heading off-road provides a crucial base from which great things can happen. With that in mind, this issue of Running Monthly is devoted to cross-country running.