Liverpool XC: Euro Trials – Senior Women’s Preview

This Saturday’s Liverpool XC is my favourite race of the cross-country season. Not only is it fixture 2 of British Athletics Cross Challenge Series, it’s also the trials race for the Great Britain team for the European XC Champs. It’s my favourite race as a fan of the sport, because a number of the top athletes haven’t faced each other at cross-country since March – making the results hard to predict and the racing always exciting. Plus, this fixture is also part of the Liverpool & District League and the Mid-Lancs League, meaning it attracts hundreds of athletes in the Senior races from internationals to enthusiastic club runners. 

At the sharp end of the field, runners will be battling it out for 1 of 6 places on the British team for the European XC Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on 8^th December. With only the top 3 guaranteed selection and the U23s racing alongside the seniors, competition will be fierce with only Gemma Steel a dead-cert for a place on the start line in Belgrade. With Julia Bleasdale returning from injury since her 8^th places over 5km and 10km at the 2012 Olympics, now out of Liverpool with a cold, she could take one of the 3 discretionary spots after showing good form with a 56 second victory over Tish Jones at the Surrey League and a 23^rd place at the Cross de Atapuerca in Spain.

This Autumn’s road racing circuit has seen dominant performances from Gemma Steel at the Birmingham Half Marathon and National Road Relay Champs, with a whole host of others running well across the Run Britain and Great Run series. Louise Damen and Tish Jones both set PBs at last weekends’ Leeds Abbey Dash, whilst Charlotte Purdue made a spectacular return to racing at a very windy Great South Run. Purdue will hope to have progressed from there and come to Liverpool in the form to challenge Steel, but Damen is focusing on the roads this Winter and won’t be competing. Purdue’s Aldershot team mates will be competitive as well – Steph Twell’s pedigree over road, track and cross country means you can never discount her whilst Lily Partridge, this year’s Southern XC Champion clocked the fastest leg at the National XC Relays a couple of weeks ago, as well as making an encouraging half marathon debut at Birmingham where she finished 4^th in 74:55. Partridge should be set to compete in her 5^th successive European XC Champs, most likely in the U23 team but could challenge for a top 6 place overall. 

Few athletes have faced each other over 8km of mud and grass yet this season, so it will be interesting to see whether Gemma Steel’s dominance on the road is challenged on the country by the top performers so far this Winter. At the opening fixture of the British Athletics Cross Challenge at Bristol, a small but high quality field fought it out in the first major XC race of the season, with Katie Brough finishing 4 seconds clear of Juliet Potter. With Lauren Deadman, Stevie Stockton, Jane Potter and Emma Clayton completing the top 6 here, they should all be in the mix for a top 6 spot at Liverpool. Others we can expect to see near the front of the race on Saturday include U23 Beth Potter and Trafford AC’s Jacqueline Fairchild who ran Bristol winner Katie Brough close in the opening fixture of the Manchester League and backed this up with the 4^th fastest leg at the National XC Relays. Lauren Howarth is another to show great form on the roads this Autumn, in addition to her 6th place finish over 3km at the European Indoor Champs back in March. Elle Baker, Emily Wicks and Rosie Smith were all GB representatives last winter and can’t be discounted this year either should they race. Last year’s breakthrough act, Caryl Jones, may be coming back in to form but she’s yet to show she can follow up on her 15^th place at last year’s European XC. Aly Dixon, not known as a cross country runner, is returning from the injury that put paid to her Autumn Marathon plans and could be another to watch.

Saturday should see a highly competitive race with good indications for team success in Serbia in a fortnight’s time. Will Purdue or any others challenge Steel over 8km of undulating grass and mud? We look forward to finding out!