THE image of Seymour Newman endorsing a 'Champs' programme on television last week inevitably reopened investigations in my mind into the state of Jamaica's middle- and long-distance running.

That Newman's national 800-metre record of 1 minute, 45.20 seconds was established way back in 1977 and has stood for some 33 years is glaringly instructive.

For sure, the Wolmerian had that rare combination of speed and endurance needed to compete at the highest level. It is also true that athletes of that ilk seem to be a dying breed in Jamaican athletics.

But considering the advancement in training and technical acumen within this fraternity these days, perhaps Newman's long-standing mark paints a starker picture of a lack of "political will" among athletes and coaches to indulge in the requisite hard work and dedication demanded in preparing for these events.

One of Newman's recommendations -- that to be effective over 800 metres, and in any 'distance' event, one is expected to be running between eight to 10 miles per day -- is certainly not the motivational speech that athletes of this generation seeking a 'quick-fix' to their training regime would want to hear.

Of course, the exploits of Jamaican athletes over the past two years would have further glamorised the sprints while relegating the longer events to the status of the proverbial 'poor cousins'.

It is little wonder that though high school coaches concentrate on middle- and long-distance races for the accumulation of points for Boys' and Girls' Championships, their shelf life is quite short thereafter.

The coaches' attitude towards an event is normally transmitted to the young athletes who depend on these professionals for advice in ultimately determining which event to concentrate on. They should therefore take some of the blame.

Despite the commendable efforts of the Jamdammers Club in organising a number of road races across the country over the past decade or so, the paucity of athletes who can compete over the longer distances at the highest level continues to exist.

Yet the situation was not always like this, with Jamaica -- through George Rhoden and George Kerr, for instance -- boasting a proud tradition in the two-lap event.

Track pundits will also recall that in the 1970s, athletes like Newman and Byron Dyce were very competitive internationally.

The former, for example, just failed to make the final of the 800 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where Cuba's revered Alberto Juantoreno copped a rare 400-800m double.

Interestingly, the 800 metres is no longer regarded as a middle-distance event in international circles, but is called either a 'sprint' or a 'run'.

Perhaps transmitting this idea to the Jamaican youngsters could pave the way for more enthusiasm and increased participation in events like the 800, 1500 and 5,000 metres -- and ultimately make a difference.

It is frustrating over time to see promising schoolboys like Sherwin Burgess, Kenroy Levy, Mark Jones, Aldwyn Sappleton, Mario Watson and Marvin Watts stamp their mark at 'Champs', yet fail to optimise their unquestionable talents by making an impact at the senior level.

Some of the aforementioned individuals were in fact clocking incredible times of 1:47s and 1:48s as schoolboy athletes -- enough to make them all serious contenders for many a senior championship.

But world superstar Usain Bolt adequately sums up the general Jamaican attitude towards any distance above the 200 metres by citing the increased workload that these latter events demand, implying that they certainly would not have been his events of choice.

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