The Importance of Core Strength in Running

All runners agree that the absolute worst thing that can happen to you during a race (besides pulling a muscle or breaking a bone) is getting a cramp. For sprinters it ruins their entire race because of the very short distance they have to cover. They just don't have time to make up ground. Depending on the "magnitude" of the cramp, where it is, and how long it lasts, distance runners can be similarly affected. Sometimes you recover in time and sometimes you don't. So what can be done to prevent these?
Besides the obvious answer of working harder to get in better shape, I have found one activity that always helped me fight cramps in the long run-having good core strength.
When most people get cramps it is because there running form falls apart and they end up doing weird things like hunching their shoulders or having their head roll around on their shoulders, or even slightly bending over. This causes muscle groups to either strain, overcompensate, or just be in awkward positions. All of these things can be combated by having good core strength. Now of course that doesn't mean you should stop your runs early and do extra core. Not at all. If you seem to be getting cramps any time you race then be sure you run for  longer then you have before during your workouts. Only after you have done your full run should you do your core exercises. Push-ups, crunches, flutter kicks, and any other type of abdominal workout will help you with this problem. In my junior year of high school not a race would go by when I didn't get a cramp. My senior year I trained harder over the summer and did extra core over the season. I soon noticed a dramatic increase in my "good races" and a dramatic decrease in my "bad races" So all in all, if you are getting bad cramps when you run do core exercises. You won't get immediate results but eventually, over the course of a month or two you will notice improvement.
P.S......before doing any of this make sure you watch your eating habits...even an olympic athlete can get cramps if they don't eat correctly before their runs.