<\/p>\n
La Mandria Park sits in the shadow of the Alps and on the north-west outskirts of Turin. On Sunday the venue will play host to the European Cross Country Championships and the organisers have devised a course that is both challenging and imaginative.<\/p>\n
Recent rain means the turf in this Piemonte region of Italy will be fairly heavy going. Athletes will also have to navigate sharp climbs and descents on a twisty, spectator-friendly course. The most interesting section, though, is a short passage of less than 100 metres which goes through an historic building. It is reminiscent of Italy\u2019s famous Cinque Mulini or \u2018five mills\u2019 race and, as the competitors glide over the artificial grass, they will run past Italian paintings, artefacts such as replica horse and carriages \u2013 and even a snooker table.<\/p>\n
It is a far cry from the course that staged the 1997 World Cross Country Championships in Turin. On that occasion the event was held in the Parco del Valentino on the other side of the city and after around two months of no rain the IAAF paid an estimated $500,000 to lay down new grass with staff also working around the clock to fill in dangerous potholes on the parched terrain.<\/p>\n
This weekend\u2019s European Championships is the fourth time the event has been held in Italy following Ferrara in 1998, San Giorgio su Legnano in 2006 and Chia in 2016. The course at La Mandria Park is set up for a tremendous day of racing with all six reigning champions from Dublin 12 months ago back to defend their crowns.<\/p>\n
One of these is Charles Hicks, who stormed to victory in the men\u2019s under-23 race last year. The US-based Briton, who is now 21, says he considered racing the senior men\u2019s event in Turin but decided to defend his age-group title and he arrives in Italy in tremendous form after winning the prestigious NCAA cross-country title in Oklahoma three weeks ago.<\/p>\n
Charles Hicks (Mark Shearman)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThe focus has been to get as much rest and recovery as possible in the past three weeks,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve tried to relax and concentrate on the little things and keep my season rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hicks was speaking shortly after jogging around the course in La Mandria Park and had plenty of mud on his shoes to prove it. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to be a tactical endeavour,\u201d he says on the route.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome courses run themselves. Some need some thinking through. This is definitely the latter. So I\u2019ll be strategising tonight based on the information I got today over what\u2019s going to be the best plan. But other athletes will have their own plans so I\u2019ll definitely have to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n
After only flying into Italy two days earlier, Hicks is a little jet-lagged but says he feels fine. He believes it will be a different test to Dublin last year, though. \u201cI think it will be different. I came into last year a little bit banged up. But I\u2019m feeling very strong this year.\u201d<\/p>\n