There are only six days to go until the final major event of the athletics season: the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg on 9 December.
This will be the 25th edition of the annual championships and this year’s edition looks set to be the biggest to date according to the final entries. The roll-of-honour reads like a who's who of European long distance running and ahead of Sunday's event, we have taken an alphabetic retrospective of a championships which is steeped in history.
A is for Alnwick
Situated around 35 kilometres to the north of Newcastle, Alnwick staged the first edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in 1994 and again in 1995. Finland's Annemari Sandell became the youngest ever winner of the senior race in 1995 at the age of 18.
B is for the Beekse Bergen Safari Park
This will be the venue for the European Cross Country Championships on Sunday. While recent courses have been on flat and firm ground, a tougher test is expected to await the runners next weekend.
C is for Charleroi
After Alnwick held the first two editions, the European Cross Country Championships moved to Charleroi for the third edition in 1996. Talking of mud, the underfoot conditions in Charleroi were extremely heavy - although very much to the liking of Great Britain’s Jon Brown who won the senior men’s title by more than half-a-minute.
D is for Dutch supporters
Sifan Hassan was a late withdrawal due to illness but the Dutch fans could still have success to celebrate on Sunday. Jasmijn Lau will be one of the favourites in the U20 race and European 10,000m silver medallist Susan Krumins will be looking to emulate her showing from a decade ago when she won the U23 title in the senior race.
Did you know Susan Krumins has placed inside the top eight at the last seven major championship 5000m finals? #FactFriday
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) November 30, 2018
Next stop: European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg on 9 December! #Tilburg2018 pic.twitter.com/s8dkzzjy1h
E is for entrants
This year’s edition of the European Cross Country Championships will be the biggest to date. According to the final entries which were released on Thursday, 616 athletes from 38 countries have been declared for Tilburg next Sunday.
F is for Fuentes-Pila
At 41y and 198d, Zulema Fuentes-Pila will be the oldest athlete to compete at this year’s European Cross Country Championships. Remarkably this will be only her second appearance at the championships after her debut showing in 2002.
G is for Great Britain
With 148 medals in championship history, Great Britain has been the most successful nation in European Cross Country Championships history. Past winners include Paula Radcliffe in 1998 and 2003, Mo Farah in 2006, Hayley Yelling-Higham in 2004 and 2009 and Gemma Steel in 2014.
H is for hat tricks
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Türkiye’s Yasemin Can will be targeting their third successive titles in their respective events on Sunday.
I is for Ireland
Ireland has a rich tradition dating back to the late 1970s when John Treacy won back-to-back titles at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Catherina McKiernan extended the tradition by winning the inaugural title in 1994 before Fionnuala McCormack created history by becoming the first athlete to defend her senior women’s title in 2012. Ireland hosted the championships in 2009 and will do so again in 2020.
President Svein Arne Hansen and CEO Christian Milz sign the organiser contract for 2020 European Cross Country Championships with Athletics Ireland CEO Hamish Adams and Fingal Senior Executive Mary Godwin today in Budapest. pic.twitter.com/5oHNwx8Asm
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) November 2, 2018
J is for Jevtic
Serbia's Olivera Jevtic is the only woman to have won five senior medals at the European Cross Country Championships. She picked up five bronze medals between 1998 and 2006.
K is for Klosterhalfen
Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen came to prominence in 2015 by winning the U20 title in Hyeres before retaining her title the following year in Chia. Klosterhalfen won’t be racing this year but Germany has good chances in the U20 race courtesy of Lisa Oed, the European U20 3000m steeplechase champion.
L is for Lebid
The European Cross Country Championships to Sergiy Lebid is what Wimbledon is to Roger Federer. In his record 19 appearances at the championships between 1994 and 2012, the Ukrainian won the individual senior title on nine occasions. He won his first title in Ferrara in 1998 and his ninth in Albufeira in 2010.
M is for Mixed Relays
A seventh event was added to the European Cross Country Championships programme last year when the mixed relay was held for the first time in Samorin. Great Britain ran out triumphant last year ahead of Czech Republic and Spain.
The second part of the A to Z of the European Cross Country Championships will be published on Tuesday afternoon.