KIMbia will be well represented this weekend at the IAAF World Championships in Cross Country, with Lineth Chepkurui captaining her Kenyan team, Shalane Flanagan and Brent Vaughn leading the US senior women’s and men’s teams, respectively, as the reigning national champions, and Andrew Bumbalough bringing experience from the 2006 junior race into his senior debut.

Andrew writes to us from Spain to describe the host town:

After a long journey we finally arrived in Punta Umbria, Spain – a small coastal town about ninety minutes drive from Sevilla. We got in around midnight to the hotel and luckily food was still available. We ate a quick dinner and then hit the hay to try and get rested after a long trip. The next morning I woke up to a bright and powerful sun that I hadn’t seen in months thanks to Portland’s gray, damp climate. While it is only about 65 degrees outside, the sun is warm and bright making it very pleasant. I even needed sunglasses on my run!

Punta Umbria is a resort town, truly coming alive during the summer season when folks come down to enjoy “R and R” on the beach. Being that it is March (the off-season), the town itself is pretty empty. A lot of the stores and cafes are closed till beach season commences. Little does this town know that some of the world’s best distance runners are about to descend on it and bring it to life with some awesome races.

The running near the hotel is quite good. There is a dirt road and bike path nearby that make it easy to get in 35-50 minutes. After the runs I’ve spent time hanging out on our balcony with a cup of coffee and my computer, but today, Shalane, Lisa, and I took a short walk to the beach. The beach is beautiful, the water freezing and full of hundreds of seashells. I’ve never seen so many shells that are perfectly intact.

Jerry and Shalane’s husband Steve arrive today so I’ll get in my first (and last) workout before the race this afternoon!