Nairobi — Kenyans ought to brace themselves for another disappointing world championships if Saturday's national championships are anything to go by.

If indeed the home championship provided a sneak preview of which direction Kenya's cross country running is headed, then we can be sure it is nowhere even close to the direction of the medals' podium.

Kenya's Ethiopian rivals reading online editions of Kenya's papers must be rubbing their hands in glee.

The Kenyan team picked seems not even sure which of its runners has the pedigree to take on the exciting and highly talented Kenenisa Bekele who will be going for a fourth straight title defence.

Unlike previous championships when old hands were decimated by young turks seeking a place in the glory trail, this year only one young man, Eliud Kipchoge, the reining world 5,000m champion and Athens Olympics bronze medallist carried the torch for the youngbloods.

One-man demolition

He won neatly but well alone. His winning margin, like Paul Tergat's during last year's Armed Forces championships, showed the malaise eating into the core of Kenyan athletics. Remedial measures even in the one month left before the trip to France will prove to be a herculean task for the coaches handling the residential training camp.

Kipchoge, barely in his 20s will therefore have to carry on as a one-man demolition team at the world championships next month in Paris. His colleagues simply lack what it takes. This would certainly be a blessing for countries struggling to break the latter day Kenya/Ethiopia monopoly in the championships.

Winning margin

A coach pointed out that Kipchoge's nine seconds winning margin over Moses Mosop who was followed by great names like John Korir and Charles Kamathi unfortunately failed to exhibit championship material. Instead they painted a bleak picture.

Now coaches will be forced to treat Kipchoge like a prize fighter while trying to find a midas touch that can transform the likes of Charles Kamathi, world 10,000m champion in to a world beating runner.

Former great John Ngugi, the first man to win the world cross country championships for five times in a row was sitting on the terraces at the Jockey Club of Kenya watching, with keen interest, how his former Armed Forces struggled.

Unexpected windfalls

During his reign, cross country running was considered a very important branch of athletics.

Ngugi said besides competing for their individual barracks, the world championships brought unexpected windfalls from shoe manufacturers besides opening doors to invitational meetings.

Because the field was crowded, back then, it was a matter of survival for the fittest. He had to train twice as hard as his average team mates especially in residential training camp by sneaking out at 4.30am. One and a half hours later he would be back in bed awaiting the wake up call for the routine morning practice.

A similar training approach was employed by Tergat who is still capable of returning to the world championships and beating the current crop of Kenya's best.

In his build up to the Athens Olympics, Tergat was logging in 35 to 50Km daily in training for four months simply to do a 42km race on one afternoon. This sacrifice nearly paid off until he developed a stitch when he was reeling in the front runners.

Does a modern day runner get enough training?

National head coach Dan Muchoki says training is the pillar of success but in the current liberalised structure, it has become the classical case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

The Armed Forces trainers, for example carry out most of the preparations and use local competitions to gauge standards achieved. Today however, their runners train individually and are only pooled together for a few weeks before national events.

Not all of them like their individual coaches. It is simply a case of the left hand failing to know what the right is doing. In between all this, runners must attend international engagements because they are too financially lucrative to pass by.

In recognition of this, during a retreat in Eldoret recently, over 40 coaches endorsed four among themselves to manage a pre-national championships residential training camp at the IOC/IAAF Kip Keino camp.

Coach John Mwithiga said the camp may not have produced instant results but those who attended and were selected in the national team on Saturday are expected to greatly improve in the next month.

"You cannot get results overnight but I am sure we are heading somewhere. Neither should Saturday's results be seen to be a general problem. Maybe we may have a problem in the 12km race. But our juniors and women are still good, he said.

Rose Chepchumba who won the women's 8km race and her colleague Priscillah Jepleting in the short course race for example are professional athletes whose motivating factor is good results and the world championships counts supreme for them.

In their ranks are Edith Masai who was included in the women's short course race despite faring badly. This is because she will be going for a fourth world title defence.

Isabella Ochichi won a silver medal in the 5,000 m event of the Athens Olympics and could not be left out.

Lucy Kabuu and Jane Gakunyi were also considered because of their experience. They were victims of the high altitude conditions having returned to Kenya recently from Japan and did not have enough time to acclimatise.

The coaches were also urged to reconsider Earnest Meli who did extremely well in the Nairobi province championships but suffered stitches at the national championships.

As a bronze medallist last year at the junior levels, he is more of a sure bet because these championships are no longer for rookies. There is nothing more important then experience.

Mwithiga will be assisted by David Letting, who has produced a succession of marathon runners, and Julius Kirwa. Former national coach Mike Kosgei was not considered after he allegedly refusing to take up a position offered to him in the pre-national championships team in Eldoret.