Euro XC championships 2020 to e held in Ireland.

Working class heroes

https://www.fastrunning.com/events-and-races/events-news/ireland-to-host-european-cross-country-championships-in-2020/20669

As per title the European XC are to be held in Ireland in 2020.
Can’t wait to see if the Europeans can finally conquer the Africans.

Chivito550

Great news, but not sure about having it in Abbotstown. It is so dreadfully out of the way, awfully serviced by public transport. If you want to attend you basically have to drive. Not a great way to encourage the average punter to attend.

Santry Demesne is much easier to get to by public transport, though hardly perfect.

No way it can be in the Phoenix Park?

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

Great news, but not sure about having it in Abbotstown. It is so dreadfully out of the way, awfully serviced by public transport. If you want to attend you basically have to drive. Not a great way to encourage the average punter to attend.

Santry Demesne is much easier to get to by public transport, though hardly perfect.

No way it can be in the Phoenix Park?

Thought they spent loads of money on a xc course in abbotstown? So surely they wil have it there?

Doubt there be that big of crowd at it?

jamule

Can't see abbotsown getting or being able to handle a big crowd. Santry a few years ago was grand. Lepardstown in 2002 was ideal (once I got over the strangeness of seeing people run on the track)

jamule

Can't see abbotsown getting or being able to handle a big crowd. Santry a few years ago was grand. Lepardstown in 2002 was ideal (once I got over the strangeness of seeing people run on the track)

RayCun

It will be Abbotstown. It's the national cross country course in the national sports campus. I don't know what the expected attendance is, but there is plenty of space for car parking, in empty fields and actual car parks. Public transport is not so good. Maybe if the demand is there, there will be dedicated buses.

Sacksian

RayCun wrote: »

It will be Abbotstown. It's the national cross country course in the national sports campus. I don't know what the expected attendance is, but there is plenty of space for car parking, in empty fields and actual car parks. Public transport is not so good. Maybe if the demand is there, there will be dedicated buses.

I realise it's definitely in Abbotstown but Santry is much more accessible. The nearest bus stop is more than a mile's walk to the Abbotstown xc venue and indoor arena (and it's not actually serving the campus, it's just the nearest). Even by car, access is awful and I'd imagine the only reason it's not complete mayhem at the end of the Senior XC is because loads of parents from juvenile races anticipate this and leave early (and it's still pretty bad).

We should want as many people as possible to attend.

Athletics Ireland could use this opportunity to help a bit by either pushing for a bus to go into the campus or by opening up entry to the campus on the Connolly Hospital side to make Castleknock train station and other Navan Road buses an option for access - would also make it more attractive to cycle via the Royal Canal Way.

That a centrepiece of national sporting infrastructure is served so poorly by public transport really is an awful indictment of our planning culture. And especially when we're also trying to promote physical activity amongst young people and reduce dependency on cars.

Would also love to see them do some of the stuff that Aarhus 2019 is doing: the course is (theoretically) more interesting, mass participation xc events with different distances, relays and, if you can run a 10k in less than 33 minutes, you even have the opportunity to be in the main world xc race!!

https://www.aarhus2019.dk/en/the-course/