When the gun sounds for the start of the World Cross Country Championships on Sunday in Bydgoszcz, Poland, two Colorado Springs runners will be there to represent the Boulder Running Company/Adidas team, and Team USA.

Mattie Suver and James Strang qualified for the world competition last month at the USA Cross Country Championships. It was a surreal experience for Suver.

With her teammate Brianne Nelson working by her side, they  ran among the leaders. They had nothing to lose, but it was a little scary.

"There were three Olympians just ahead of us," Suver said. "It was like, 'what are  we doing up here?"

As it turns out, she was running toward a berth in the world championships.

"I never thought I'd be here," Suver said. "It's pretty exciting to be a part of  this team."

Both runners specialize in the 10K, but neither claim to be great at cross country. Suver will run 8K in the women's race. Strang, 28, has a slightly bigger challenge, stretching his 10K legs to a 12K distance on an unpredictable course.

"The course is supposed to be fairly flat and fast," he said. "But in the past, it has been wet and rainy. So you never know how it's going to work out. I'm just going in with an open mind."

Strang spent his college days at the University of Arkansas and is still coached by former Razorbacks coach John McDonnell, who is "like a second father to me," he said.

How will Strang stack up against some of the world's best runners? You don't have to tell him that cross country runners who can physically and mentally bull their way through the late stages will do well.

"It's going to be the last mile that will be tougher for me," he said. "Being a 5K and 10K guy, I'm not used to the extra mile at the end. I just know I need to stay with them (teammates) and hang on."

Suver is training with coach Scott Simmons and the American Distance Project runners in Colorado Springs. She spends much of her training time trying to keep up with Alisha Williams, who won the 2012 California International Marathon and who recently placed second in the U.S. 15K Championships.

"She (Williams) keeps me pushing," Suver said. "She leaves me in the dust most of the time."

But Suver is getting faster. She was an All-America selection at the University of Oregon. But she set her 10K PR in October at the USA Track and Field 10K Championships in Boston. She said Simmons' program has made the difference.

"He's a fantastic coach and has helped me reach that next level," Suver said.

Her conditioning - honed on the trails in Colorado Springs - showed up again at the U.S. Cross Country Championships on Feb. 2.

"We did go out hard, but it didn't bother me," she said. "A lot of women dropped off the back, but I think training at altitude helps when you go down to sea level. You can push those limits a little farther and you're not going to hit the wall as soon."

She likes the 8K distance in cross country, but the chance to run with a team is most exciting.

"We have a great group of women, so it will be fun racing for the team, as well as for myself. It adds a whole new aspect to it."

Both runners look forward to racing on the track this year and have targeted the Payton Jordan Invitational, April 28 at Stanford University in California, as a launching pad for bigger things.

Suver wants to build up to marathon distance - she competed at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials, but struggled.

Strang, who has a personal-best 10K time of 28:12, would like to race at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June and possibly qualify for the World Championships, Aug. 10-18, in Moscow, Russia.

"I need several months of consistent training for worlds," he  said. "It's going to take a 27:30 to 27:40, and you need to finish in the top three at the U.S. Championships. It's a high goal, but I know that if I can hit somewhere in that range, I'll be OK."

Problem ... there will be several runners gunning for qualifying spots. How will he gain an edge?

"Be smart," he said. "When the body is tired, let he body rest. When it's time to push, go hard."