SETTING SIGHTS ON OlympicSTATUS

There’s a topic covered in this edition of Trail Run Mag that I’m super hyped about, and it’s all to do with pushing and campaigning to take our beloved sport to the top of world eventing – the Olympic Games.

There are so many reasons why trail running deserves Olympic status, and if I were to go on about it, I could very well take up every single page of this edition.

As someone who interviews people and writes for a living, I get incredible opportunities to talk to not only a wide range of athletes who showcase trail running with the upmost pride and representation, but with race directors and organisers whose passions lie so much deeper than you’d have ever considered. These are the individuals you can rely on to make big noise when it comes to putting forward an idea and making it happen – having said that though, you too can raise your voice and encourage the game players to put trail running on the world stage by getting involved.

Yes, we have World Championships for trail and ultra; they’re stand-alone events attracting elite runners and their supporters. On an international scale, there are a few – count them, few – races that Aussies and Kiwis can compete at after meeting specific criteria, but on many occasions each athlete needs to find a way to fund themselves to get there. On some level, member-based groups like the Australian Ultra Runners Association (AURA) and others do offer to cover those costs, yet for other events, sponsorships can be hard to come by.

With trail running given official Olympic positioning, can you just imagine what that would mean to athletes who dream of representing their country but are unable to cover their own funds? Sponsorships would be coming in from all the outfields. And if given the chance to run on a world stage where it’s not just running enthusiasts who spectate, it’s an opportunity to showcase the sport and really demonstrate its popularity, fortitude and capability to what the human body can achieve.

Trail running is a sport. That’s a sentence all on its own. I agree that for many, it’s a recreational activity with so much personal meaning; and for others, it’s life. Life is built around trail running, not the other way around. These are the athletes who put in the exorbitant hard yards, are in constant training mode, who don’t falter from nutritional plans, who run more than 90km per week, who have their eyes set on breaking national records and taking podium finishes.

So the question is…what makes these elite trail athletes any different to those competing at the Games in rowing, rugby, swimming and fencing…in archery, water polo and weightlifting?

Let me tell you a little story here that has complete relevance, trust me. Believe it or not, I’m a 1st Dan black belt in taekwondo. Well and truly retired now, I was in my prime at the age of 18 winning tournaments in both forms (poomse) and fighting. Hell, I was darn great at it; I was a podium placer. And as any person that young, I had a dream – to go to the Olympic Games. It even says so underneath my senior school photo in my yearbook, so I have proof in case you ever ask.

It was all I wanted to do in the late 1990s; I trained every day after school and I used to teach in-between training blocks – my students ranged from ages three to 95. I lived and breathed taekwondo. My family didn’t come from wealth by any means, but at every opportunity spared they supported all the moves I wanted to make. Attend a training camp with American Olympians Herb Perez and Juan Moreno, and All American Open Grand Champion Mark Williams? Sure. Change teachers and get my parents to drive 45 minutes twice a week to be coached by Senegal’s Olympic champion Abdoulaye N’Gom? Absolutely – in fact, Master N’Gom was the teacher who tested and then presented me with my black belt in 1998.

Back track a bit when ten years earlier in 1988, taekwondo was put forward at the Seoul Olympics as a demonstration sport –originating from Korea, the ’88 Games were the perfect place to do this. Again in 1992, it was put on demo in Barcelona and by the time 2000 rolled around, taekwondo became a full medal sport at the Sydney Games – and it’s been included ever since then.

My point being is that despite my passion at the time being a demonstration sport, I had hope of making it to the Games one day (as you can see, I’m not talking about winning any gold medals here as life went down a completely different road). But because of the sport being put on display, I had every ounce of ambition to get there due to knowing it was 100% possible that my sport could go from ‘demo’ to ‘official’.

The same can be said for campaigning trail running to the Games. The 2032 Brisbane Games are the perfect setting to have our favourite sport included, demonstration or official.

It gives hope to anyone and everyone who has a dream.

KATE DZIENIS EDITOR