The world famous football overtakes Osaka Castle...

If there's one constant in my travels to either the World Track & Field or World Cross Country Championships, it's the world famous football.

To recap the history of the world famous football, the football started off as a inside joke between myself and Mark Bomba, who ran on Canada's world cross country team in 2001, after he brought a football to the Seattle Open Cross Country Classic.

I told Mark that I'd bring a football to world cross since he brought one to my race. That football's been a constant in my travels to the last seven world cross country championships, and the last four world track & field championships, and last year's World Cup.

In keeping with the tradition, I took the football to Osaka Castle, the city's signature landmark. I wondered what the Japanese folks who were at the Castle were thinking when they saw me with it?

My guess is that they were thinking that it's one lucky football to have conquered the Acropolis, Osaka Castle, the Stade de France, Mombasa Golf Course, etc.

Where has the football been to? In order--Greece (4x) , Belgium (2x), Canada, Ireland, Great Britain (2x), Switzerland, Denmark (2x), Germany, France (2x), Finland, Japan (2x), the Netherlands (2x), Kenya, and Hong Kong.