{"id":2614,"date":"2019-04-05T18:45:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T18:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogemea.hokaoneone.com\/wordpress\/?p=2614"},"modified":"2019-04-05T18:51:49","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T18:51:49","slug":"world-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogemea.hokaoneone.com\/wordpress\/world-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"HOKA athletes face test of strength and endurance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HOKA<\/p>\n

\u201cI was worried about whether I would be able to handle the demands of the course,\u201d says Jenny. \u201cBut that\u2019s the great thing about cross country, it is unpredictable. I told myself that everyone else would be thinking the same thing, and that it was the World Cross Country Championships, it was supposed to be hard!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

One week on and HOKA ONE ONE athletes, Jenny Nesbitt<\/a> and Adam Hickey<\/a>, are still very much feeling the effects of one of the most \u201cbrutal\u201d cross country races they have both ever competed in.<\/p>\n

Described by some as the \u201cgreatest footrace in the world\u201d<\/a>, the World Cross Country Championship is a biennial event that gathers the best distance runners in the world. It’s an occasion steeped in history and occupies a unique place in the hearts and minds of grassroots fans and distance runners.<\/p>\n

And the race in Aarhus, Denmark exactly one week ago certainly lived up to the billing.<\/p>\n

Living up to the hype<\/h3>\n

Much of the talk in the lead up to the race was about the course. The two-kilometre loop, completed five times by both the senior men and women, featured a cheering tent, ‘Viking Zone’, sand pit and rooftop running. It was innovative and different.<\/p>\n

It was also \u201cextremely undulating\u201d according to Adam, and started with a 400m hill. Paths covered in sand sapped energy from tired legs. Long climbs and steep descents hammered the legs and exhausted the mind. There was little respite.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest takeaway from the whole experience is, without a doubt, the pain in my legs,\u201d laughs Adam, who goes on to describe the Clifton 5<\/a> as a “godsend” in his recovery runs since.<\/p>\n

\"HOKA<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really appreciate just how steep the hill up to the roof of the museum was or just how relentless the course would be,\u201d says Jenny, who raced in the Evo XC Spike<\/a> and finished 34th<\/sup> overall. She was also part of the Great Britain team who finished a creditable fourth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there will ever be a race like it again. I certainly wanted to get the opportunity to be able to say I had been there and done it!\u201d<\/p>\n

True test of strength and endurance<\/h3>\n

Both Jenny and Adam earned the chance to test themselves against some of the very best distance runners in the world by winning the UK trial event last month.<\/p>\n

It was Jenny’s first time at the World Cross Country Championships. For 30-year-old Adam, it was his fourth appearance, having competed as a junior between 2005 and 2007. The road to his first senior outing, though, didn’t run smoothly.<\/p>\n

\"HOKA<\/p>\n

Starting almost from scratch at the beginning of January after an ankle injury last autumn, Adam has gone from local county champion to 51st<\/sup> in the world in just twelve weeks.<\/p>\n

With the race more an ambition than an expectation at the start of the year, the firefighter and father-of-two cut short a family holiday with his wife Katie, two young sons Leo and Beau, and his parents to join up with the Great Britain team in Denmark last Friday.<\/p>\n

Rubbing shoulders with the elite<\/h3>\n

For the first time at the World Cross Country Championships, club runners also had the opportunity to run alongside their heroes and be part of the event. One of those was HOKA ONE ONE field support representative, Joe Wade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Joe (pictured below with HOKA NAZ Elite<\/a> athlete Steph Bruce<\/a>)<\/em> was gifted a sub-elite place in the main race as a 30th birthday present from his twin brother, Tom.<\/p>\n

\"HOKA<\/p>\n

So, how does Joe’s World Cross Country Championship experience compare to Jenny and Adam?<\/p>\n

\u201cPure fun!\u201d he enthuses. \u201cRunning in such a high-profile race without any pressure, rubbing shoulders with that calibre of athlete, was unforgettable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe course was something special, and the involvement of Mikkeller brought a real party feel to the whole thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe organisers made everyone really feel part of it all and, for me, just having the opportunity to run was special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Emmie Collinge\/Phil Gale and Joe Wade<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was worried about whether I would be able to handle the demands of the course,\u201d says Jenny. \u201cBut that\u2019s the great thing about cross country, it is unpredictable. I told myself that everyone else would be thinking the same thing, and that it was the World Cross Country Championships, it was supposed to be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[493],"tags":[562,564,53,563,513,431,565,566,11,561],"yoast_head":"\nHOKA athletes face test of strength and endurance | HOKA ONE ONE\u00ae<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"HOKA ONE ONE athletes took on a true test of strength and endurance at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. 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