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Everything you need to know about this weekend’s big cross-country dust-up at Llandaff Fields
British distance runners Jess Warner-Judd, Megan Keith, Marc Scott and Zak Mahamed face a tough test on home soil on Saturday (Nov 11) as they face international competitors from cross-country powerhouses Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda in the Cardiff Cross Challenge.
The event’s status as a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold Label has attracted quality line-ups. Age-group races and the inclusion of the John H Collins Gwent Cross Country League means there will be a strong turn-out from club runners too.
Many Brits are using the event as a warm-up for the Euro Trials in Liverpool two weeks later. Conditions are likely to be tougher than usual as well with recent heavy rain likely to make the Llandaff Fields course particularly soggy.
Last year the quality of the event was shown when Emile Cairess placed fourth in a men’s race won by Edward Zakayo, while Pamela Kosgei, the younger sister of former world marathon record-holder Brigid, won the women’s race.
Senior women
It is 15 years since a diminutive Jess Judd first burst on to the cross-country scene with victories in the Inter-Counties and English National during the winter of 2007-08. Since then she has excelled at 800m (1:59.77) through to half-marathon (67:19), grown about 2ft in height and adopted a double-barrelled name after marrying 29:22 10km runner Rob Warner.
At the World Championships in Budapest she was eighth in the 10,000m final, but cross-country is where her heart lies and she is almost certain to be one of the front runners on Saturday.
Jess Warner-Judd (Paul Stillman)
Rivals include Likina Amebaw of Ethiopia, who won international cross-country races in Albufeira last winter and Zornotza last month.
Francine Niyomukunzi of Burundi was ninth in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga last month and, like Amebaw, is used to racing on British soil as they both competed in the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London in May, placing 11th and 16th respectively.
READ MORE: Jess Warner-Judd interview
Meseret Yeshaneh of Ethiopia is still a teenager but was seventh in the under-20 women’s race at the World Cross Country Championships in Australia in February and last year took world under-20 bronze in the 3000m steeplechase.
Keep an eye out for Asmarech Anley, also from Ethiopia, who won the African under-20 3000m title this year and seven-time Hungarian champion Lilli Anna Vindics-Tóth, plus Michela Cesaro from Italy, the winner of the mass race half-marathon in Riga.
Sofia Thøgersen of Denmark is only 18 but won the European under-18 title at 3000m last year and two minor medals in the 1500m and 5000m at this year’s European Under-20 Championships.
Sofia Thøgersen (centre) with Jess Bailey (right) and Edibe Yagiz (Getty)
Such is the level of competition, Warner-Judd will have to run well to finish first Brit home too.
Megan Keith, the European cross-country under-23 silver medallist last year, won the European under-23 5000m title this summer before impressing at the London Diamond League with a huge PB of 14:5.98.
READ MORE: Megan Keith interview
Further British entries include Olympic marathoner Steph Twell, 2022 world university cross-country champion Izzy Fry and local Welsh hopes Jenny Nesbitt and Cari Hughes.
Add to this European under-23 10,000m champion Alice Goodall, Jess Gibbon, Phoebe Law, Alex Millard, Poppy Tank, Olivia Mason and Almi Nerurkar and the event is stacked with domestic talent.
Jenny Nesbitt (Mark Shearman)
Senior men
Marc Scott won at Cardiff in 2019 but he is easing his way back to form this winter after a summer of stress fractures and cross-training. At his best he is a match for anyone, though, and in Cardiff his domestic rivals include Zak Mahamed, the 2022 Euro Cross under-23 silver medallist, plus Welsh contenders Dewi Griffiths and Osian Perrin.
Watch out for Matt Stonier, too, as the 3:31.30 1500m man enjoys getting stuck into cross-country more than most fellow milers.
READ MORE: Marc Scott interview
Vincent Keter, a 21-year-old from Kenya leads the international entries courtesy of his 1500m best of 3:31.28 from this year and the fact he won the world under-20 title at 1500m last year.
Vincent Mutai, also of Kenya, won the recent Cardiff Half-Marathon in 60:35 and was runner-up to Paul Chelimo at the Night of the 10,000m PBs men’s race in May in 27:31.31.
Vincent Mutai wins at Cardiff
Another athlete who raced in Highgate is Egide Ntakarutimana of Burundi. Back then he was fourth but his 10,000m best of 27:24.59 was set last year and he has run 13:03.61 for 5000m in 2023 and, aged 26, was 13th in the 5000m at the World Road Running Champs in Riga.
Plenty of top youngsters are in the men’s race as well. Joel Ibler Lillesø of Denmark won the European 5000m under-20 title in 2021 and was sixth in the World Under-20 Champs 3000m last year. Now aged 19 he is part of the same training group as Cardiff women’s race contender Thøgersen plus Dutch star Niels Laros and has been training hard in Font-Romeu ahead of this race.
Yohanes Asmare is only 17 from Ethiopia but was the winner at the Bobby Rea International in Belfast recently. He will hope to make an impact in Cardiff, as will Keneth Kiprop of Uganda, who is 18 and placed sixth in the under-20 race at the World Cross in February.
Yohanes Asmare (Keith McClure)
Mile races
Two races over one mile have been added to the programme this year to help athletes get ready for the mixed relay trial races in Liverpool. Entries include Holly Archer, the former European indoor 1500m silver medallist, plus recent British road mile championship medallist Tom Dodd and England Athletics under-23 1500m champion Tyler Bilyard.
Innes FitzGerald (Mark Shearman)
Young athletes
The stand-out race in the age-group programme is the combined under-20 and under-17 women’s event. Twelve months ago Innes FitzGerald kicked off her brilliant winter campaign with a gun-to-tape victory in Cardiff and she will be hoping for the same again as she builds up to the European Cross Country Champs.
Rebecca Flaherty and Jess Bailey, winners of the 2022 and 2023 world mountain running under-20 titles, will be in the mix although the lack of hills on the Cardiff course will surely not play to their favour.
Eliza Nicholson, the Commonwealth Youth Games 3000m bronze medallist this summer, has also made great strides in 2023.
Watch out too for Inter-Counties under-20 champion Megan Harris and and Alice Bates, although a clash with the Cross Italica in Seville has seen a number of athletes called up for England such as Pippa Roessler and, in the senior age groups, Callum Elson and Amelia Quirk, Sarah Astin and Kate Axford.
Rebecca Flaherty (Gary Mitchell)
Full start lists can be found here.
Timetable
11:02 – U11 Girls (Inc Primary School Races) – 1250m
11:10 – U11 Boys (Inc Primary School Races) – 1250m
11:30 – U13 Girls – 2780m
11:45 – U13 Boys – 2780m
12:00 – U17 Men – 5560m
12:25 – U17/20 Women – 4450m
12:50 – U15 Girls – 3200m
13:05 – U15 Boys – 3200m
13:25 – Senior Women’s Mile – 1 Mile
13:35 – Senior Men’s Mile – 1 Mile
13:45 – Senior Women & Masters – 6400m
14:30 – U20 Men – 6400m
14:55 – Senior Men & Masters – 9600m
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