| Great Edinburgh International Cross Country | |
|---|---|
 The race takes place in the green backdrop of Holyrood Park | |
| Date | Early January |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Event type | Cross country |
| Distance | 8 km for men 6 km for women 4x1 km mixed relay |
| Established | 2005 |
| Official site | Great 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. The event was first held in Edinburgh in 2005 after the city was awarded the Great North Cross Country which relocated from Durham. 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. It was an IAAF permit meeting, which means that performances could be used to qualify for the annual IAAF World Cross Country Championships. 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.
The grassy, occasionally muddy, course in Holyrood Park ran in a circular, clockwise pattern. The same venue was used to host the 2003 European Cross Country Championships and the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. It had relatively difficult routes in the past, with runners twice having to climb and descend Haggis Knowe (a steep hill) in 2009. 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.
The meeting was broadcast by the BBC annually, and received sponsorship from VisitScotland (in 2006) Bupa (from 2007 to 2014) and PureGym in 2016.
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.
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.
Past 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 |
| 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.
References
- Hedley, Nicola (2007-12-20). Burka seeks third consecutive cross country win in Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- "Major meet for Edinburgh". 28 September 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- Event Information. Great Run. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- IAAF Cross Country Permits Archived 2010-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2009). Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- All set for Great Stirling XC and Inter-Districts. Scottish Athletics (2019). Retrieved on 2019-01-14.
- Ramsak, Bob (2005-01-15). Kipchoge and T. Dibaba carry off thrilling victories. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- The Course. Great Run. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Spikes Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- Landells, Steve (2009-01-10). Dinkesa shocks while Masai marches on in Edinburgh Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- ^ History and Tradition Archived 15 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Great Run. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2005-01-14). Mighty list of cross country stars assemble in Edinburgh - Preview. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- Shaheen, Ochichi join Edinburgh cross country fields. IAAF (2006-01-03). Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
- Gillon, Doug (2006-01-14). Bekele survives searching challenge from Shaheen in Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-12-26.
- Wenig, Jorg (2011-01-08). Kipchoge and Masai prevail in snowy Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-09.
- Mulkeen, Jon (2016-01-09). Farah beaten as Heath secures hat-trick in Edinburgh. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-01-10.
External links
- Official website Archived 11 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
| European Athletics cross country permit meetings | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Athletics in the United Kingdom | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | |||||||||||