Llandaff Fields in the Welsh capital is stage one of this winter’s popular cross-country series followed by events in Liverpool, Glasgow, Leeds and Nottingham
The British Athletics Cross Challenge Series kicks off in Cardiff on November 9 followed by the European trials in Liverpool on November 23 and then Glasgow and Leeds in the new year before culminating in Wollaton Park in March.
The Cardiff event has grown in stature in recent years after becoming part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour with Megan Keith and Innes FitzGerald among the winners last year. Grassroots runners from the Gwent League ensure a busy day in this early-winter test.
The series moves to Sefton Park in Liverpool a fortnight later for the European Cross Country Championships trials, where athletes will look to earn selection on the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for Antalya in December.
The trial is a long established event at Sefton Park although there will be changes to the senior and under-23 races this year with under-23 athletes running a lap less than their senior counter-parts and peeling off to the finish much earlier.
Athletes at the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey in December will race over relatively short distances this year with senior men and women tackling 7.5km, under-23 men and women both covering 6km and the under-20 men and women running 4.5km. In order to pick the best possible team the trials distances for seniors and under-23s in Liverpool are 8km and 5.6km respectively, although the fact both age groups will be in the same race – and tackling different distances – will potentially cause confusion on the day.
Megan Keith and Jess Warner-Judd (Mark Shearman)
The under-17 and under-20 athletes will also race alongside each other in Liverpool over just 4.4km. In addition there will be trials for the mixed relay at the Euro Cross over 1500m. What’s more, the whole event incorporates the Mid Lancs, Liverpool & District and Red Rose cross-country leagues.
On January 11 the Cross Challenge moves on to Alexandra Park in Glasgow with the event including the Scottish District Championships before hitting Temple Newsam in Leeds on February 8 (it has been incorrectly advertised as Roundhay Park elsewhere). The Temple Newsam event will incorporate the Home Countries International and Celtic Challenge too.
Then, on March 8, the finale of the Cross Challenge is at Wollaton Park in Nottingham and will, as usual, incorporate the UK Inter-Counties Championships. Senior titles last winter went to Abbie Donnelly and Calum Johnson before both of them went on to tackle the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade.
With the World Cross now being a biennial event, there is no global championships this coming winter. Instead it is next held in Tallahassee, United States, on January 10 in 2026.
Given the much earlier than usual date, British organisers are already weighing up how the domestic calendar should play out in 2025-2026 with one of the key questions being where and when to hold a GB trial for Tallahassee.
Abbie Donnelly (Gary Mitchell)
Major fixtures for 2024-2025
Saturday November 2 – Saucony English Cross Country Relays, Mansfield
Saturday November 9 – British Athletics Cross Challenge, Llandaff Fields, Cardiff
Saturday November 23 – British Athletics Cross Challenge and Euro Trials, Sefton Park, Liverpool
Saturday December 7 – English Schools Cross Country Cup, Grammar School, Leeds
Sunday December 8 – European Cross Country Championships, Antalya, Turkey
Saturday January 11 – British Athletics Cross Challenge, Alexandra Park, Glasgow
Saturday January 25 – English area cross-country champs
Saturday February 1 – BUCS Cross Country Champs
Saturday February 8 – British Athletics Cross Challenge, Temple Newsam, Leeds
Saturday February 22 – Saucony English National Cross Country Champs, Parliament Hill, London
Saturday March 8 – British Athletics Cross Challenge Final and Inter-Counties, Wollaton Park, Nottingham
Saturday March 15 – English Schools Cross Country Championships, Ardingly Showground, West Sussex
Saturday March 22 – SIAB Schools International
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