Eleven athletes from B.C. are among the 34 Canadian team members slated to compete at the 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships, regarded as one of the toughest events in international athletics.

Eight of the 11 runners - Emilie Mondor, Tina Connelly, Courtney Inman, Leah Pells, Matt Johnston, Ryan Hayden, Sam Pawluk and Chris Winter, train as part of the PacificSport National Endurance Centre-Vancouver. The remaining B.C. runners, Stephanie Mills of Burnaby, Malindi Elmore of Kelowna and Steve Osaduik, train in Victoria, Calgary and Nanaimo respectively.

The Centre, led by head coach Marek Jedrzejek, is made up of 15 training groups of endurance runners based in a variety of communities. Members compete and train at various levels, from the international-calibre runners slated to take part in the world cross country championships, to nationally-ranked competitors and promising young athletes achieving at the provincial level.

"It is one of the toughest events around," said Jedrzejek of the world event. "Not only are the conditions often difficult with mud, hills and uneven terrain but world cross country brings together athletes from many distance disciplines, it's not just 1,500-metre runners against 1,500-metre runners."

Jedrzejek believes the Canadian women entered in the short course (4K) event have an excellent chance of finishing in the top eight and to perhaps secure a team medal.

Port Coquitlam's Tina Connelly is eager to make her return to the world championships after the 2002 birth of her daughter, Shelby Layne. In 2001 Connelly was the top North American finisher in the 4K event at 28th place, with her career best being a 17th in the 1999 8K race.

"This year, we have a very high quality team and I really wanted to be a part of it," said Connelly, an Olympian in 2000 and bronze medallist at the 2003 Canadian cross-country championships. "I did a couple of marathons in the fall so to be included on a short course team with mainly 1,500-metre runners, I'm honoured. If we all run to 100 per cent of our potential we could challenge for a medal, maybe not gold or silver as Ethiopia and Kenya seem to have those wrapped up but, certainly, a bronze."

Joining Connelly in the senior women's 4K race will be Kelowna's Malindi Elmore, Courtney Inman of Mt. Lehman, Coquitlam's Leah Pells, Carmen Douma Hussar of Cambridge, Ont., and Burnaby-based Emilie Mondor of Mascouche, Que.

Mondor, who has qualified to run the 5,000 metres at the Summer Olympics in Athens, is also slated to run the senior women's 8K race in Belgium as is Stephanie Mills. Mondor recently won the women's division of the UBC Open Cross Country Classic as part of her training for the world championships in Brussels.

"I believe my chances to do well are pretty much equal for both 4K and 8K - my best race would probably be 6K," joked Mondor. "But I decided to focus on the 8K due to the fact that it is a race where only the fittest can stay in the front pack in the last few kilometers - in the 4K a lot of pushing occurs almost until the end. But I will also be doing the best I can the following day in joining Team Canada in the 4K race."

Mondor began 2004 with an impressive pair of races overseas, finishing fourth in an international cross-country event in Newcastle. A week later she defeated reigning world half-marathon record holder Susan Chepkemei of Kenya to win at the Belfast International cross-country meet.

"My performances and my general fitness obviously put me with the best female cross country runners right now, but aiming for a medal is always a big luck game" said Mondor. "I am 100 per cent confident of what I can do and the way I can effectively fight against the top runners but I will never be able to control what others are doing in a race."

For more information contact: Marek Jedrzejek: Head Coach, PacificSport National Endurance Centre-Vancouver (604) 822-6259

source www.emiliemondor.com