Today marks the one month to go countdown to the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa on 14 December, the jewel in the crown of the continental cross country season
This will be the fourth time that Portugal has hosted the SPAR European Cross Country Championships which dates back to 1994 after previous editions in Oeiras 1997, Albufeira 2010 and Lisbon 2019.
Here is what you need to know ahead of this year’s championships in Lagoa!
Who’s confirmed?
Nadia Battocletti has already confirmed that she will defend her senior women’s title next month.
The Italian has amassed another superlative season across all surfaces, winning medals in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and 10km gold at the inaugural European Running Championships.
Another high profile name who is targeting Lagoa is European 10,000m bronze medallist Megan Keith. The Brit missed last year’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships with injury but memorably won the U23 race in Brussels 2023 by an incredible 83 seconds, the biggest winning margin in any race in championship history.
Her teammate Innes FitzGerald also has aspirations of signing off her junior career with her third successive U20 title at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
European marathon champion and world marathon bronze medallist Iliass Aouani has also been pre-selected for the Italian team for Lagoa.
Portuguese hopes in the senior races are expected to rest with former U20 and U23 medallist Mariana Machado, who was a creditable fifth in Antalya last year before improving to fourth in the 10km at the European Running Championships.
What’s happened so far?
As is customary, the World Athletics Cross Country Tour began with the famous Lidingöloppet near Stockholm in late September over the atypical cross country distance of 30km with Swedes Ebba Chala Tulu and Carolina Johnson taking the titles.
The Spanish cross country season has also resumed in the meantime with a packed schedule of competitive and international races in the build-up to Lagoa and beyond.
At the Cross Internacional de Zornotza on 19 October, Nassim Hassous, who was part of Spain’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, finished second on home soil while leading Portuguese hope Mariana Machado also finished second in the senior women’s race.
More recently, European 10,000m bronze medallist Thierry Ndikumwenayo and European U23 5000m champion Maria Forero were the best of the Spaniards against world class international fields at the famous Cross de Italica on the outskirts of Seville.
At the Cardiff Cross Challenge on 9 November, Innes FitzGerald was already in auspicious early season form, winning the U20 race in gun-to-tape style by 50 seconds.
The Nordic Cross Country Championships in Kastrup, Denmark on 9 November also provided a glimpse of who’s in good early season form. Reigning world U20 3000m champion Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen from Norway won the senior men’s title although the 20-year-old is expected to focus on the U23 race in Lagoa.
Also watch out for Norway’s Andrea Nygård Vie and Sweden’s Karl Ottfalk, both of whom dominated the U20 races in Kastrup and are expected to challenge for medals in Lagoa.
Many of the Nordic countries have already had their national championships. Sarah Lahti won both the long course and short course titles at the Swedish Cross Country Championships while European U23 3000m steeplechase champion Ilona Mononen followed suit by sweeping both titles on the same day at the Finnish Cross Country Championships.
What happened last year?
Having already won a 5000/10,000m double at the European Athletics Championships, Nadia Battocletti made history by becoming the first woman in history to win individual titles at U20, U23 and senior level. She also led Italy to their first ever team gold in the senior women’s race.
After missing the 2023 edition through injury, Jakob Ingebrigtsen returned to regain his senior title in unopposed fashion, his third senior title and seventh individual gold medal to date across all age-groups.
There were expected but contrasting victories in the U20 races for Niels Laros and Innes FitzGerald. After a shock defeat in 2023, Laros won the men’s U20 title in a sprint finish whereas FitzGerald won gold from the front, leading the Brits to the team title.
Will Barnicoat and Phoebe Anderson continued the British success with double gold in the U23 races, also leading to the Brits to the team title in both races.
Anchored by Pietro Arese, Italy regained their title in the mixed relay, winning in a sprint finish from Great Britain and France.