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Great Edinburgh International Cross Country

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Great Edinburgh International Cross Country
The race takes place in the green backdrop of Holyrood Park
DateEarly January
LocationEdinburgh, Scotland
Event typeCross country
Distance8 km for men
6 km for women
4x1 km mixed relay
Established2005
Official siteGreat Edinburgh International Cross Country

The Great Edinburgh International Cross Country was an annual cross country running competition that took place every January in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was one of the competitions in the Great Run series of athletics events and was held alongside the Great Winter Run 5 kilometres mass participation race.[1] The event was first held in Edinburgh in 2005 after the city was awarded the Great North Cross Country which relocated from Durham.[2] The Great Edinburgh International Cross Country featured three professional races: the men's 8 km race, the women's 6 km race, and the 4x1km relay.[3] It was an IAAF permit meeting, which means that performances could be used to qualify for the annual IAAF World Cross Country Championships.[4] It was announced on the BBC coverage of the 2018 event that that year's edition would be its last. The event was replaced by the Great Stirling Cross Country in nearby Stirling.[5]

The grassy, occasionally muddy,[6] course in Holyrood Park ran in a circular, clockwise pattern.[7] The same venue was used to host the 2003 European Cross Country Championships and the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.[8] It had relatively difficult routes in the past, with runners twice having to climb and descend Haggis Knowe (a steep hill) in 2009.[9] The meeting attracted cross country athletes of the highest calibre, with past competitors including six-time World Champion Kenenisa Bekele, Gebregziabher Gebremariam, Tirunesh Dibaba and Eliud Kipchoge.[10][11]

The meeting was broadcast by the BBC annually,[11] and received sponsorship from VisitScotland (in 2006) Bupa (from 2007 to 2014) and PureGym in 2016.[10][12][13]

A new team competition format was introduced for the 2011 event. The four teams assembled were Great Britain, Europe, the United States and Great Britain Under-23s. Britain's Mo Farah won the race but the Europeans, featuring all the reigning European Cross medallists, won the overall team challenge.[14]

Garrett Heath had three consecutive wins in the men's race from 2014 to 2016, two on the short course and one on the long.[15]

Past winners

Korir (2017 winner) with Hawkins (2017 runner-up) and Heath (2014, 2015 and 2016 winner)
Long course winners
Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s)
1st 2005  Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 27:43  Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 21:35
2nd 2006  Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 26:08  Gelete Burka (ETH) 19:01
3rd 2007  Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 28:14  Gelete Burka (ETH) 23:25
4th 2008  Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 27:42  Gelete Burka (ETH) 19:58
5th 2009  Abebe Dinkesa (ETH) 26:51  Linet Masai (KEN) 19:02
6th 2010  Joseph Ebuya (KEN) 28:41  Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 21:37
7th 2011  Mo Farah (GBR) 25:41  Linet Masai (KEN) 20:24
8th 2012  Ayad Lamdassem (ESP) 25:44  Fionnuala Britton (IRL) 21:32
9th 2013  Bobby Mack (USA) 24:27  Fionnuala Britton (IRL) 20:40
10th 2014  Chris Derrick (USA) 24:11  Gemma Steel (GBR) 20:35
11th 2015  Chris Derrick (USA) 25:31  Emelia Gorecka (GBR) 21:26
12th 2016  Garrett Heath (USA) 25:29  Kate Avery (GBR) 21:05
13th 2017  Leonard Korir (USA) 24:03  Yasemin Can (TUR) 20:36
14th 2018  Leonard Korir (USA) 24:32  Yasemin Can (TUR) 20:58
Short course winners
Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s)
1st 2005  Nick McCormick (GBR) 12:22
2nd 2006  Nick McCormick (GBR) 12:16
3rd 2007  Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 12:20
4th 2008  Andrew Baddeley (GBR) 12:52
5th 2009  Andrew Baddeley (GBR) 12:17
6th 2010  Ricky Stevenson (GBR) 13:20
7th 2011  Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 13:12
8th 2012  Asbel Kiprop (KEN) 9:20 (3 km)
9th 2013  Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 9:46 (3 km)
10th 2014  Garrett Heath (USA) 11:51 (4 km)
11th 2015  Garrett Heath (USA) 12:11 (4 km)
  • All information taken from official website.[10]

References

  1. ^ Hedley, Nicola (2007-12-20). Burka seeks third consecutive cross country win in Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  2. ^ "Major meet for Edinburgh". 28 September 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ Event Information. Great Run. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  4. ^ IAAF Cross Country Permits Archived 2010-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2009). Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  5. ^ All set for Great Stirling XC and Inter-Districts. Scottish Athletics (2019). Retrieved on 2019-01-14.
  6. ^ Ramsak, Bob (2005-01-15). Kipchoge and T. Dibaba carry off thrilling victories. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  7. ^ The Course. Great Run. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  8. ^ Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Spikes Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  9. ^ Landells, Steve (2009-01-10). Dinkesa shocks while Masai marches on in Edinburgh Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  10. ^ a b c History and Tradition. Great Run. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  11. ^ a b Ramsak, Bob (2005-01-14). Mighty list of cross country stars assemble in Edinburgh - Preview. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  12. ^ Shaheen, Ochichi join Edinburgh cross country fields. IAAF (2006-01-03). Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  13. ^ Gillon, Doug (2006-01-14). Bekele survives searching challenge from Shaheen in Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-26.
  14. ^ Wenig, Jorg (2011-01-08). Kipchoge and Masai prevail in snowy Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-09.
  15. ^ Mulkeen, Jon (2016-01-09). Farah beaten as Heath secures hat-trick in Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-01-10.
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