Running man Dathan out to put on the Ritz in Holyrood

AS MANY of the world's top distance runners "blew" into town for tomorrow's Great Edinburgh Cross-Country at Holyrood Park, or were stranded in London waiting for their flights to be rescheduled because of the gales, US cross country champion Dathan Ritzenhein was already safely in his hotel and putting in a little training on a fitness machine.

His main concern was to find his missing kit, which, like so much luggage these days, had been lost in transit, though for once not at Heathrow.

"I may have to go out and buy some shoes," said the 24-year-old former World Junior medallist who lives at altitude in Boulder, Colorado.

Ritzenheim, who was fourth in the men's long race last year, was delighted to learn on his arrival that event organisers Nova International had decided to turn the course round this year: "I like the course and it means it's going to be harder this year with a steep slope and a lot of little quite steep inclines," he said.

"I hope it'll even it up a bit although the good runners will still come through."

When you have a field with the calibre of Kenenisa Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadesse, Gebre Gebremariam and Boniface Kiprop all there, to say the opposition is good is an understatement as Ritzenheim was quick to point out.

"The top five are really good but if I run well I may get fairly close to Kiprop - I'd like to stay with them for a while and try to mix it up and perhaps sneak into the top four."

One of Ritzenheim's main reasons for choosing Edinburgh for his first outing since finishing 11th in the New York Marathon in November was that he hopes to be back here next year for the World Championships: "I could have run a road race somewhere but I wanted to see the course again - it's great timing," added the man who lives and trains near Edinburgh-born Scottish internationalist Kathy Butler at the Mecca of US distance running.

Ritzenheim's next big test will actually be in Boulder, when the American Championships are staged on February 10 on a golf course at nearly 6000 ft, and he will then target the World Cross Championships in Mombasa, Kenya in March.

"Most of my success has been on the country and it's always good preparation for the track," he added.

Which is why, regardless of his ambitions to make the US team for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, either in the marathon or 10,000 metres or both, Ritzenheim is certain he will be back in the Capital for next year's Worlds in March.

Tomorrow's 9.3k race will be his first serious competition since his slightly disappointing marathon debut in 2:14.01 in the Big Apple, following an impressive half marathon debut in the Great North Run the previous month when he was third in 61.25, the second fastest time all year by an non-African.

But there will be no getting away from the amazing Africans tomorrow, with the ten-times world champion Bekele of Ethiopia facing a serious threat from Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan who so impressed in this race two years ago and who is the man in form, having run under 27 minutes for 10k in a road race in Madrid on Hogmanay.

Also likely to be close up is Tadessa from Eritrea, the World Road Race champion and an Olympic 10k bronze medallist who was only fractionally behind Kipchoge in Madrid.

The only disappointment is the non-appearance of Australian Craig Mottram, who has a calf strain. But his fellow-countrywoman Benita Johnson, the former world champion, will challenge last year's winner Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) in the women's race with European junior champion Stephanie Twell leading the home hopes.

Britain's senior men's European champion Mo Farah has opted for the 4k race, where he clashes with the six-times former Euro champ Sergiy Lebid from the Ukraine. The men's 4km race starts at 1.10pm and is followed at 1.25pm by the women's 6.7km race. The men's 9.3km event is at 2pm and admission for spectators is free to the whole event.