Athletes descend on Cardiff as Cross Challenge celebrates silver anniversary

This weekend’s cross-country clash in the Welsh capital takes place 25 years after the British Athletics Cross Challenge was created

It is exactly a quarter of a century since the British Athletics Cross Challenge was born when, in the early winter of 1997, a new series of events took place in cities such as Bristol, Margate and Cardiff. Using the Belgian Cross Cup as inspiration, the idea originated in the pages of AW two years earlier and, after capturing the support of title sponsor Reebok, a prize pot of £45,000 was generated. Its goal, as AW’s Trevor Frecknall reported at the time, was “to encourage and reward ambitious cross-country athletes”.

Cardiff hosted its 1997 event in the grounds of Cardiff Castle with senior races won by Vikki McPherson of Scotland and Julius Kiptoo of Kenya as Keith Cullen finished top Brit in the men’s race. Now, 25 years later, Cardiff kicks off the 2022-23 British Athletics Cross Challenge on Saturday (Oct 15) with races staged at Llandaff Fields on the banks of the River Taff less than two miles from the city centre.

Reebok’s sponsorship has long since ended and the prize money across the series is not as much as it was at £25,860 for this coming winter. But the series is still going strong and the Cardiff event is now part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour. In a part of the sport that is hardly renowned for its prize money, senior victories this weekend will earn the winners $2000 apiece too.

Those winners will be different to last year too as the athletes who finished first in 2021 – Charlotte Arter and Hugo Milner – are not set to race this weekend. The races will be dominated by British runners – and numbers will be boosted due to the event incorporating the John H Collins Gwent League – but the senior honours could go to international runners this time.

Gizealaw Abeje Ayana finished runner-up in the Cardiff Half-Marathon earlier this month in 60:17 and the Ethiopian is one of several strong east Africans in the line-up. 

Rogers Kibet of Uganda is only 19 but has a 10,000m PB of 27:31.08 and he finished fifth in the 3000m and 5000m at the recent World Under-20 Championships in Colombia.

Rogers Kibet (Getty)

Edward Zakayo of Kenya is another youngster who is set to compete in Cardiff. He won the 2018 world under-20 5000m title four years ago in Tampere, took 5000m bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and was fourth…