World Cross Country Trials in Loughborough

The 2018-19 Cross Challenge titles and places on the British team for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships will be decided at Loughborough’s Prestwold Hall today. Britain’s best cross country runners head to Loughborough hoping to book their place in the team that travels to Aarhus, Denmark.

Today’s race will also incorporate the Inter Counties Championships and will see the senior women race over the same distance as the men as they take on the 10km loop.

The senior men’s field promises some strong competition as Marc Scott (handicap -6.2) flies over especially from his base in America to race in the trials. The Yorkshireman was the first Briton home at last year’s European Cross Country Championships, finishing in ninth place.

Fellow Euro Cross senior men’s silver medallist Ross Millington (handicap -6.3) and Under-23 team silver medallist and defending series champion Mahamed Mahamed (handicap -5.8) will take to the course in Loughborough, the latter winning on this course last year.

The senior women’s field is stacked with quality with Kate Avery (handicap -1.4) in prime position to claim her second senior women’s title an earn qualification for the British team that heads to Denmark.

Verity Ockenden (handicap -1.1), will hope to continue her fine start to 2019 that has seen her home fifth in the Great Stirling XCountry and eighth in the Cross Internacional de Italica, behind Jess Piasecki (handicap -1.3), who will also be in contention.

Emily Hosker-Thornhill (handicap -1.7) is enjoying a terrific winter on the grass, having claimed maximum points in Dundonald and a second-place in Cardiff, along with adding the English national title last month.

Jess Judd (handicap -1.6), who formed part of the mixed 4×1.5km relay in Tilburg, will also be in the hunt and hoping to stake her claim for a place on the team.

The men’s under-20 event at 11.00am is the first race of the day, with the action in Loughborough concluding with the senior men’s race at 2:45pm.
Event timetable

11.00am: Under-20 men          – 8km
11.30am: Under-13 boys         – 3km
11.45am: Senior women       – 10km
12.35pm: Under-15 boys        – 4km
12.55pm: Under-17 women    – 5km
1.15pm: Under-20 women      – 6km
1.40pm: Under-13 girls            – 3km
2.00pm: Under-17 men           – 6km
2.20pm: Under-15 girls            – 4km
2.45pm: Senior men             – 10km