Athletics: True cross-country running is about a tough course with tough conditions and the best distance athletes competing for their team as much as themselves. Exactly the sort of show expected at the European championships in Edinburgh tomorrow. True cross-country runners can have no excuses.
With Sonia O'Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan on the start line there is also true hope of Irish glory. Both athletes are competing for their team as much as themselves. And if Ireland manages to win both the women's team and individual title then it might just become the final highlight of the sporting year.
Standing in the way is one athlete in particular: Paula Radcliffe. At her best Radcliffe may as well be running on another planet because no woman on earth can run with her. At least not for very long. There is a question though about how she'll run tomorrow.
Is she at her best? For a start she missed the entire summer through illness and injury. She appeared to be back to her best with a series of impressive wins on the road during the autumn, including the world half-marathon championships, but then just three weeks ago could only manage third place in her 10km leg of the Ekiden relay in Japan.
Clearly Radcliffe wouldn't have come to Edinburgh unless she thought she was fit enough to win. And that victory is also crucial to the hopes of the British team, without doubt the main challengers to the Irish women. Though it's far from a two-team race, with the Russians, Portugal, Spain and France among those eager to cause an upset.
For Irish coach Jerry Kiernan the sight of four green vests among the leading finishers is something he does expect.
"Without lumping too much pressure on them I do think we'll win medals," he says. "I'm just not sure as to the colour. I know with Paula Radcliffe running the British team is now very strong. But I still feel we've a good chance of beating them."
O'Sullivan started targeting this race not long after her nightmare run at the World Championships in Paris last August, eyeing it as the perfect end to an otherwise forgetful year. McKiernan too has returned to cross-country running with real force, and as the winner of the inaugural event in 1994 - and not forgetting her four world championship silver medals - she knows exactly what lies in store.
The first four home make up the team scores, and Rosemary Ryan, Marie Davenport and Ann Keenan Buckley are all capable of completing a winning quartet. Jolene Byrne is the only novice on the team but will relish the opportunity to impress.
"The distance of 6.5km is also closer to Sonia's territory. And I just couldn't imagine Sonia going into the race thinking she wasn't going to beat Paula. Sonia doesn't operate like that. Sonia is in there to win," said Kiernan.
He is a little more cautious, however, about predicting the other Irish placings, especially McKiernan's: "It's hard to know exactly where Catherina is at. Her progress was a little slow say six months ago but then around October she made a quantum leap in her form, finishing second to Sonia at the Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park, and since then has had two good cross-country races in Belgium and in Margate. So provided she hasn't lost out on too much because of that cold she had a couple of weeks ago, I'd be very hopeful she could finish in the top 10."
It's hard not to see the race boiling down to a head-to-head between Britain and Ireland, up front and back in the team race.
Defending champion Helena Javornik of Slovenia has withdrawn and the only other threat appears to be Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey, who has recently trained at altitude in her native Ethiopia and arrives with a growing reputation, having beaten two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu over 5,000m in September.
Crucial to O'Sullivan's chances is staying with Radcliffe for as long as possible and then trying to out-kick her. The race starts at 1.10 and the first lap is not to be missed.
Irish interest in the men's race, which starts at 2.0, has been massively watered down through the withdrawal of such class talents as Keith Kelly, Cathal Lombard and Alistair Cragg.
"It's just too bad we're missing three of our top runners," says Kiernan, "because if they were in there I'd be more hopeful about the Irish men winning the team race than the women. But the likes of Séamus Power and Peter Mathews are running very well and should be very competitive."
SENIOR MEN: S Power (Kilmurry/ Ibrickane), P Mathews (Dundrum South Dublin), V Mulvey (Raheny), Tristan Druet (Sligo AC), M Kenneally (Raheny).
SENIOR WOMEN: A Keenan Buckley (North Laois), R Ryan (Bilboa), J Byrne (Donore Harriers), S O'Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh), C McKiernan (Annalee), M Davenport (Marian).
JUNIOR MEN: M Christie (Mullingar), A Ledwith (Fr Murphy AC), Alan McCormack (Dundrum South Dublin), J Sweeney (Dundrum South Dublin), J McCarthy (Riverstick), D Mulhare (North Laois).
JUNIOR WOMEN: L Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin), F Britton (Slí Chulainn), F Nic Riamoin (Clonliffe), S O'Doherty (Borrisokane), O Drumm (Limerick), M Gallagher (Dundrum South Dublin).
