Athletes from across the globe descend on Antrim
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Antrim Mayor Adrian Watson pictured with the winners of last year’s cross country men’s race at Greenmount. L-R) Boniface Kiprop, second place, winner Jida Merga and Andrew Lemoncello, third place.
ATHLETES from across the globe will descend on Antrim this weekend for the IAAF International Cross Country Race at Greenmount.
The 33rd such event, it will be only the second year it has been held in the picturesque venue, with racing taking place on Saturday.
The event will also incorporate the Celtic International Cross Country Championships which will see teams from Scotland, Wales and Ireland take part.
The event is one of the largest and most popular events in the Northern Ireland athletics sporting calendar with more than 1,000 competitors taking part in 12 races throughout the day for age groups Senior, Veteran, Under 20, Under 17, Under 15 and Under 13.
The event is one of eleven IAAF permitted cross country races in the world and is part of the UK Cross Challenge Series. The well-established series is the focus of the domestic endurance running scene over the winter months. The final race will be in Birmingham on March 13.
The Antrim event is organised by Athletics Northern Ireland and sponsored by Antrim Borough Council.
Over the decades, some of the best international cross-country competitors from as far afield as the USA, Uganda and Kenya have made the trip to challenge each other at this acclaimed NI fixture and high profile athletes have competed here such as Paula Radcliffe, Paul Tergat, Steve Cram, Steve Ovett, John Tracey, Khalid Skah, Sergey Lebid, Liz McColgan and Brendan Foster to name a few.
Helping launch the 2010 Antrim International Cross Country the mayor of Antrim, Adrian Watson said:
“Antrim Borough Council is proud to support Antrim IAAF International Cross Country and is delighted that Athletics Northern Ireland has chosen to hold this prestigious event in Antrim for the second year.
“CAFRE, Greenmount Campus, with its central location and ease of access, is an ideal venue for this world class competition."
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