Aynslee van Graan (Tuks) might be a novice when it comes to competing against the world’s best, but that does not mean she will be making up the numbers on Saturday when lining up to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.

She is under no illusion as to what awaits her. Her coach made it abundantly clear the 10 kilometres might be the toughest race up to now that she will get to compete in.

“He actually used the words ‘flipping’ hard’. Advising me to go out fast right from the start. Ignoring the pain. According to him cross country racing is basically a very, very long sprint,” said Van Graan who won the 1 500m at both the recent Varsity Athletics meetings.

Van Graan believes that the experience she gained while studying and training at the Coastal Carolina University in the USA might stand her to good stead.

“Before I went to the USA I was sort of naïve runner. Most of the time when I raced I tended to go out too hard to fast and ended up going into survival mode over the last two laps of the 1 500m races. However, I have learned to be tactically savvier.

“Racing in the USA is quite intense. In South Africa, I am used to be in control. To dominate. While competing in the USA, I got to learn quite early on that I am not going to win that many races. The biggest challenge was to try and stick for as long as I could and hope for a top-five finish.

“On Saturday my first and foremost challenge is also going to be just to try and stick with my more experienced teammates – Kesa Molotsane, Dominique Scott and Glenrose Xaba. If I manage to do so, I might just surprise myself.”

Giving a good account of herself at the South African Athletics Championships in Germiston (25-27 April) is going to be the Tuks athlete’s next goal. Van Graan is going to compete in the 1 500m and the 5 000m. The longer event is going to be a new challenge for her on the track.

South African women’s middle and long distance running has been in decline for quite a few years with Caster Semenya being on a lone crusade. Van Graan thinks that it need not be so.

“There are enough talented middle and long distance female athletes in South Africa. The problem is that somehow we never really get to race each other.  If all of us are competing at the national championships in the same races, I am confident that there will be some fast times.”

The Tuks athlete currently boasts with a personal best time of 4:19.57 in the 1 500m. However, she is confident of being faster.