Antrim International Cross Country
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.
The round tower in Antrim, where the meeting is held
The meeting was held near Stormont Castle from 1999 to 2008.
Steve Ovett took the honours in the second and seventh editions.
Paula Radcliffe is a four-time meet winner.
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically 3–12 kilometres (1.9–7.5 mi) long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road and minor obstacles. It is both an individual and a team sport; runners are judged on individual times and teams by a points-scoring method. Both men and women of all ages compete in cross country, which usually takes place during autumn and winter, and can include weather conditions of rain, sleet, snow or hail, and a wide range of temperatures.
A men's cross country competition with Elliott Heath and Hassan Mead leading a large pack in Northfield, Minnesota
A children's cross country competition in Čakovec, Croatia
The start of a typical cross country race, as an official fires a gun to signal the start
Runners at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal