Buchanan ready to take on world

AFTER thousands of hours training, Bendigo athlete Andy Buchanan is ready to take on the world’s best cross-country runners on home turf.

Buchanan, 31, is among Australia’s team of six to contest Saturday evening’s 10-kilometre duel at the world titles in Bathurst, New South Wales.

A dual national champion in the discipline, Buchanan was fifth in a time of 29.43 at this year’s selection trial on Canberra’s Mount Stromlo.

A lot of the lead-up to that event and since then for the Bendigo University Athletics Club star was based in a training camp at Falls Creek.

“There’s been a lot of training at Falls since the new year,” he said.

It was not just running the climbs, but also time in the sauna to prepare for what could be a hot night in Bathurst.

“Last Sunday was the first day of tapering,” Buchanan said. “Instead of a 70-minute running session it was down to 50, and the length of each session has dropped since then.”

Buchanan and his Victorian team-mates for the world XCR titles made their way to Bathurst on Thursday.

It’s Buchanan’s first visit to Bathurst, renowned for the Supercar action, and where gold was first discovered in Australia.

Australia’s team will be aiming to capitalise on the conditions.

“The Europeans and the Americans may have some trouble adjusting to the course, and the weather,” Buchanan said.

“Being at home is an advantage for an Australian cross-country team for the first time.”

In 2022, Buchanan was seventh in the marathon at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

To compete at the world cross-country titles was a goal first talked about with coach Scott Westcott after he won the national championship in 2018.

“Bathurst was going to host the World XC titles in 2021, but they were cancelled because of COVID,” Buchanan said.

These championships have drawn the highest number of competing countries.

“Bathurst is likely to be a technical course which suits my style of running,” Buchanan said. “Downhill sections can be tricky, but it’s the uphill where you can gain a break, or be left behind.”

Australia’s team includes Jack Rayner, an Olympian and Commonwealth Games representative who has dominated many distances.

As teenagers, Rayner and Buchanan were opponents in the Bendigo Bank Dragon Mile run at Easter.

“We’ve spoken about that race a couple of times,” said Buchanan.

“Jack was amazed by how unique the Dragon Mile is,” Buchanan said of the Bendigo Harriers-organised event which is run in the lead-up to the gala parade in the heart of the city.

For now the focus is the World XCR duel to be run from 6.30pm on Saturday. The championship action will be broadcast on SBS Viceland, channel 31, from 3.30pm.