Antrim International Cross Country
Encyclopedia
The Antrim International Cross Country, formerly the Belfast International Cross Country, is an annual cross country running
meeting which takes place every January in Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. It is one of the IAAF's cross country permit meetings, as well as being part of the UK Cross Challenge tour. Previous winners include Paula Radcliffe
, Paul Tergat
and Steve Ovett
.
, until 1996. At that point, the course moved for a two year stint in Barnett Demesne before settling in Stormont in 1999. The course was again moved in 2009, when it became known as the Antrim International Cross Country.
In addition to having been held at numerous venues, the competition has been known under a large variety of names. It was called the Mallusk Crosscountry between 1977–1991, except a brief change to the Brooks International Crosscountry in 1989. The meeting was later renamed for sponsorship reasons, becoming the Reebok
International Crosscountry in 1992 and 1993, the Ulster Milk Games International in 1994, the Coca Cola International Crosscountry from 1995–1999 and finally the Fila
International Crosscountry for 2000–01. During the meeting's time at Stormont it was known as the Belfast International Cross Country and it was in this period that the meeting was elevated to IAAF permit status.
The race course of the meetings at Stormont was on the grounds surrounding Stormont Castle
. The current course for the race is on the grassy fields of the Greenmount Campus just outside of Antrim town. The races are currently held over 9 km for men and 5.6 km for women. This distance has significantly fluctuated on an annual basis. The men's race was an 8 km from the inaugural edition until 2003. The women's race—introduced in 1986—was previously a 4.8 km race during that period.
Steve Ovett
became the first athlete to win the meeting twice, winning in 1978 and 1994. The most successful athlete in the history of the competition is Paula Radcliffe
, who has won a record four times (in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2001). Around 1000 male and female athletes participate in the senior races each year.
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
meeting which takes place every January in Antrim
Antrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is one of the IAAF's cross country permit meetings, as well as being part of the UK Cross Challenge tour. Previous winners include Paula Radcliffe
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
, Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...
and Steve Ovett
Steve Ovett
Stephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...
.
History
The meeting began in 1977 and was held in Mallusk, near BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, until 1996. At that point, the course moved for a two year stint in Barnett Demesne before settling in Stormont in 1999. The course was again moved in 2009, when it became known as the Antrim International Cross Country.
In addition to having been held at numerous venues, the competition has been known under a large variety of names. It was called the Mallusk Crosscountry between 1977–1991, except a brief change to the Brooks International Crosscountry in 1989. The meeting was later renamed for sponsorship reasons, becoming the Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
International Crosscountry in 1992 and 1993, the Ulster Milk Games International in 1994, the Coca Cola International Crosscountry from 1995–1999 and finally the Fila
Fila (company)
Fila is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies. Founded in 1911 in Italy, Fila has been owned and operated from South Korea since a takeover in 2007. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila now has offices in 11 countries worldwide....
International Crosscountry for 2000–01. During the meeting's time at Stormont it was known as the Belfast International Cross Country and it was in this period that the meeting was elevated to IAAF permit status.
The race course of the meetings at Stormont was on the grounds surrounding Stormont Castle
Stormont Castle
Stormont Castle is a baronial mansion on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast which is used as the main meeting place of the Northern Ireland Executive....
. The current course for the race is on the grassy fields of the Greenmount Campus just outside of Antrim town. The races are currently held over 9 km for men and 5.6 km for women. This distance has significantly fluctuated on an annual basis. The men's race was an 8 km from the inaugural edition until 2003. The women's race—introduced in 1986—was previously a 4.8 km race during that period.
Steve Ovett
Steve Ovett
Stephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...
became the first athlete to win the meeting twice, winning in 1978 and 1994. The most successful athlete in the history of the competition is Paula Radcliffe
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
, who has won a record four times (in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2001). Around 1000 male and female athletes participate in the senior races each year.
Past winners
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1977 | 28:00 | Not held | — | |
| 2nd | 1978 | 24:08 | Not held | — | |
| — | 1979 | Not held | — | Not held | — |
| 3rd | 1980 | 24:33 | Not held | — | |
| 4th | 1981 | 25:03 | Not held | — | |
| 5th | 1982 | 28:00 | Not held | — | |
| 6th | 1983 | 24:37 | Not held | — | |
| 7th | 1984 | 24:36 | Not held | — | |
| 8th | 1985 | 22:06 | Not held | — | |
| 9th | 1986 | 26:12 | 18:18 | ||
| 10th | 1987 | 24:23 | 16:26 | ||
| 11th | 1988 | 25:22 | 17:31 | ||
| 12th | 1989 | 25:02 | 17:21 | ||
| 13th | 1990 | 24:50 | 17:43 | ||
| 14th | 1991 | 24:42 | 16:46 | ||
| 15th | 1992 | 22:37 | 15:29 | ||
| 16th | 1993 | 23:28 | 15:49 | ||
| 17th | 1994 | 23:44 | 15:40 | ||
| 18th | 1995 | 23:21 | 15:57 | ||
| 19th | 1996 | 24:02 | 16:02 | ||
| 20th | 1997 | 23:37 | 15:39 | ||
| 21st | 1998 | 26:16 | 17:59 | ||
| 22nd | 1999 | 25:06 | 17:03 | ||
| 23rd | 2000 | 24:55 | 17:18 | ||
| 24th | 2001 | 24:18 | 16:51 | ||
| 25th | 2002 | 25:06 | 17:16 | ||
| 26th | 2003 | 24:45 | 16:46 | ||
| 27th | 2004 | 28:27 | 18:52 | ||
| 28th | 2005 | 29:26 | 20:26 | ||
| 29th | 2006 | 28:05 | 19:09 | ||
| 30th | 2007 | 28:20 | 19:29 | ||
| 31st | 2008 | 30:19 | 21:20 | ||
| 32nd | 2009 | 24:32 | 18:25 | ||
| 33rd | 2010 | 27:49 | 18:45 | ||
| 34th | 2011 | 26:07 | 17:57 |
Winners by country
| Country | Men's race | Women's race | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 3 | 15 | |
| 8 | 7 | 15 | |
| 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 |
Multiple winners
| Athlete | Country | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paula Radcliffe Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours... |
4 | 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001 | |
| Steve Ovett Steve Ovett Stephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run... |
2 | 1978, 1984 | |
| Roger Hackney | 2 | 1986, 1987 | |
| Ismael Kirui Ismael Kirui Ismael Kirui is a former Kenyan long distance runner who won gold medals over 5000 metres at the 1993 and 1995 World Championships in Athletics.... |
2 | 1994, 1995 | |
| Moses Kipsiro Moses Kipsiro Moses Ndiema Kipsiro is a Ugandan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres. He was the bronze medallist in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics... |
2 | 2007, 2008 |