BAUHS LIKELY TO PASS ON WORLD CROSS
By David Monti
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

SAN DIEGO (05-Feb) -- Scott Bauhs hopes to win today's USA Cross Country Championships, but said here yesterday that he would not accept a berth on Team USA for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain, on Sunday, March 20, if he qualified by finishing in the top-6.

"Actually, I probably won't go if I were to make it," Bauhs said in yesterday's press conference, a remark which drew nervous laughter from both the other athletes and the audience.  It's generally taboo for an athlete to say he doesn't want a national team spot prior to a selection competition.

Instead, in refreshingly frank terms, Bauhs explained that he was using the race as an important fitness test in advance of turning to the track where he hopes to get his IAAF World Championships 10,000m standard at a meeting at Stanford University in March.  Bauhs, who grew up in Danville, Calif., and belongs to the Mammoth Track Club, has been here in San Diego for his winter training program.

"I love cross country, and San Diego is an easy trip," said the 24 year-old who ran for Chico State University.  "I live in California.  We have access to the wonderful facilities down at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, so we took advantage of that.  I spent the last two weeks in San Diego doing a couple of workouts on the course, and just getting in shape and generally getting ready for what I hope is a long track season to come.  I love cross country."

Bauhs has already made two USA teams for World Cross, in 2008 and 2010.  He was third at the national championships meet last year in Spokane, Wash., and a source close to his coach, Terrence Mahon, told Race Results Weekly that Bauhs was in excellent shape.  His top rivals here today will be Olympians Abdi Abdirahman and Matt Tegenkamp.

When asked about his goals for today, Bauhs turned serious.

"I'd love to win the race, but if I can't win the race I'd like to at least make it hard for other people to win the race."

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Today's USA Cross Country Championships is also the American selection Trials for both the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain, on Sunday, March 20, and the North America, Central American, & Caribbean (NACAC) Cross Country Championships in Tobago on Saturday, February 19.  The first six athletes to cross the finish line in the men's and women's open and junior divisions will select themselves for the World Cross team, while the seventh finisher will be declared the alternate.  By no later than February 10, 2011, athletes must state their intent to join the USA team for World Cross, or their team spot will be passed down to the next eligible athlete.

Today's meet will be webcast LIVE at RunnerSpace.com beginning at 9:45 a.m. Pacific time (12:45 p.m. Eastern time).

ENDS