Ahead of the 46th edition of the event in Florida, we reflect on the history of the event through Mark Shearman’s photos over the decades.
Three years ago the World Cross Country Championships marked its 50th anniversary, with Bathurst in Australia providing a unique experience as athletes ran on a hilly course inside an auto racing track. They even passed through a vineyard.
This year’s edition, held at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, includes obstacles like “alligator alley”, a man-made “rollercoaster” ramp, a 90ft long sand pit, a 20ft-long and knee-deep water section and a 100ft stretch of mud that pays homage to the Everglades.
It’s a long way from the first championships held in Waregem, Belgium in 1973. The precursor to that was the ‘International’ cross-country championships, staged on Hamilton Racecourse in Scotland.
Often dubbed ‘the toughest footrace on the planet’, the World Cross Country Championships boasts a long and varied history, with each host nation providing their own challenges to some of the world’s best runners.
Those inaugural championships featured athletes from just 21 countries with the number rising over the subsequent decades to 33 in 1983, 54 in 1993 and 65 in 2003.
The 2019 championships in Aarhus, Denmark – an event which captured the imagination and helped take cross country into the modern age – saw athletes from 67 of World Athletics’ 214 member nations turn out.
This edition in Tallahassee boasts 485 athletes from 52 federations.
From John Treacy and Paula Radcliffe to Kenenisa Bekele and Faith Kipyegon, some of the all-time greats have competed at these championships. They’ve all experienced different conditions and a variety of challenges but relished the chance to succeed in tough environments.
So here’s a look back on some photos over the decades, courtesy of Mark Shearman.
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
