The World Masters (WMA) Track & Field Championships begin in Sacramento on July 6th, with the first scheduled events to be the Cross Country races. With just 8 days to go to this world championship event the question suddenly arises, where will the cross country events be staged?
I visited the venue for the cross country events, Granite Regional Park, this past weekend and discovered that as much as a third of the course is underwater. An expansive swamp covers much of the north loop of the course, which was to be traversed twice by the runners, while the shorter south loop is inundated with marshy conditions in several locations along the trail.
After surveying the trails of the park, I found only one segment which was entirely dry. The remainder of the trails are covered in water to such a depth that there is no possibility of it drying in time. Ducks, frogs and minnows are prospering where runners hoped to be competing. I can see no way to construct a loop style course in the park, so that any emergency redesign of the course would require multiple out and back passes over the same stretch of trail.
I contacted the WMA’s Sacramento organizing committee, hoping that they would have an alternate plan in place. The lack of a response suggests that they were totally unaware of the conditions of the park until receiving my notice.
I can’t speculate with much accuracy about an alternate venue, but I imagine the constraints will be that the location must be centrally located and be accessible by public transportation. That rules out the other popular cross country courses I know in the area. My best guess for an alternate location would be William Land Park, the location of the non-track race-walking events. There are some cinder-like dirt trails through this park, although some street and sidewalk portions would probably be necessary to create the course.
For those athletes preparing to compete In the Cross Country events at the WMA Championships, I encourage you to keep checking the event’s website for updates and possible changes to the venue. If the course is not changed, prepare to bring your waders, because this course has a substantial water obstacle.
