12 February 2008

The Organising Committee of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, being held in Edinburgh next month, has confirmed details of a unique and exclusive Endurance Seminar to be held on the eve of the Championship weekend.

A panel of experts from the endurance running world – including Irish national hero John Treacy, Scottish legends Ian Stewart and Liz McColgan and English duo Wendy Sly and Alan Storey – will join together on Friday 28 March from 7-9pm to provide an insight into their experience and success.

 "An Evening With…" will be presented at Edinburgh’s Royal College of Surgeons in front of a capacity audience of athletics coaches and endurance enthusiasts.

Treacy, who took the silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles was a bronze medallist in the junior event on two occasions before becoming double World Cross Country Champion winning his first title at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park in 1978, then retaining his crown in Limerick the following year. Today, he is considered to be one of Ireland’s most successful athletes of all time.

Distance legends Ian Stewart and Liz McColgan will join Treacy, adding a distinct Scottish flavour to the evening. Stewart – regarded as one of Scotland’s greatest ever male athletes – won 5000m gold at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in one of the most famous races run on Scottish soil, defeating countryman Ian McCafferty and Kenyan Olympic Champion Kipchoge Keino and recording the second fastest time in history. Olympic bronze followed in Munich in 1972, adding to European titles on the track indoors and out. Stewart’s pedigree over the country was confirmed when he won the World title in Rabat, Morocco in 1975, only a week after winning European Indoor 3000m gold in Katowice, Poland.

McColgan is proudly remembered for her achievements on road, track and country. As a twenty two year old, she won gold in the 10000m in front of her home crowd at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in a new British record, signalling the start of an incredible career. Retaining her Commonwealth Crown in Victoria in 1990, she went on to achieve on a global scale. Silver in the 1988 Seoul Olympics was followed by a bronze in the 1991 World Cross Country Championships, only four months after having given birth to her first child. McColgan went on to win gold in Tokyo at the World Championships in 1991 with a performance hailed as "the greatest performance by a British distance runner" by BBC commentator Brendan Foster. In addition to World Best performances on the road, McColgan won a number of the Major Global Marathons including London, New York and Tokyo.

Wendy Sly, Olympic and Commonwealth silver medallist over 3000m will fly into Edinburgh for the Championships and specifically for the seminar. Sly, a UK Athletics Athlete Mentor, won gold at the 1983 European 10000m (road) Championships and is a former National Cross Country Champion.

UK Athletics Senior Performance Manager for Endurance, Alan Storey, completes the panel. Storey, who has coached athletes to Olympic level is largely recognised for his coaching input to multiple World and European track champion and former Olympic 5000m silver medallist, Sonia O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan won both the short and long course titles at the 1998 World Cross Country Championships in Marrakesh. Storey also coached 1984 Olympic 10000m silver medallist Mike McLeod.

The evening will be hosted by the renowned Cross Country Commentator, leading endurance coach, and Director of Athletics at Birmingham University, Bud Baldaro.

This seminar is free of charge, however entry will be strictly by ticket only on a first come first served basis. The capacity for this event is 150 and 50 Priority tickets have been reserved for members of scottishathletics. A light buffet will be served from 6pm ahead of a 7pm start.

To register for your ticket, contact Ewen Cameron at scottishathletics: ewenc@scottishathletics.org.uk

or the booking hotline on 0131 476 7327.

A contact number and email address must be supplied for confirmation and tickets to be sent.

scottishathletics and the Local Organising Committee gratefully acknowledge the support of the Dallas Trust for this event.