European Athletics will stream three major cross country events in the lead up to the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on 14 December via the official YouTube channel.
The live action gets underway this Saturday (8) at the Cardiff Cross Challenge, a World Cross Country Tour Gold meeting.
Next weekend the Sparkassen Cross Pforzheim in Germany, a World Cross Country Tour Silver meeting on Saturday (15) will be broadcast live.
Then, two weeks ahead of Lagoa, the International Warandecross Tilburg in the Netherlands, a World Cross Country Tour Silver meeting, will be streamed on the European Athletics YouTube channel on Sunday 30 November. Here are some brief event previews:
Cardiff Cross Challenge, GBR, World Cross Country Tour Gold, Saturday 8 November
The home challenge will be led by European 10,000m bronze medallist Megan Keith, making her first cross country appearance in 22 months in the women’s 6.4km race.
The 23-year-old Scot is a prodigious talent on the mud, having won European U20 gold (Dublin 2021), European U23 silver (Turin 2022) and European U23 gold (Brussels 2023).
She also placed 10th in the 10,000m final at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships. Having missed last year’s winter season due to injury, she will be keen to return to top form in her first cross country race since January 2024.
Great Britain international teammates Cari Hughes, Kate Axford and Izzy Fry are also entered.
The big international challenges should come from Kenya’s Sheila Jebet, who was 5th over 5000m at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Denmark’s three-times European U20 track medallist and women's U20 bronze medallist at the Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships Sofia Thøgersen and former Canadian cross country champion Ceili McCabe.
The men’s 9.6km race features a cosmopolitan field including Irish cross country champion Keelan Kilrehill, Kenyan contenders Stephen Kimutai and Victor Kimosop, Morocco’s Osama Er Redaouni, who was 7th in the 3000m final at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships and Dutch internationals Nathan Houwaard and Jess Fokkenrood.
The one mile races which will double as trials for the mixed relays at the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on 14 December include twice European U23 cross country champion Will Barnicoat and European indoor 1500m bronze medallist Revee Walcott-Nolan, entered for the men’s and women’s races respectively.
Sparkassen Cross Pforzheim, GER, World Cross Country Tour Silver meeting, Saturday 15 November
A strong domestic entry is led by Kira Weis, who won 10,000m silver at the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships and who was fourth in the women’s U20 race at the Brussels 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships. She is entered for the women’s 6.6km race.
In the men’s 8.8km, Markus Görger, who was 17th in the senior men’s race at the Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships is entered.
International Warandecross Tilburg, NED, World Cross Country Tour Silver meeting, Sunday 30 November
Previous winners include Dutch heroes Sifan Hassan and Niels Laros, as well as 11-times World Cross Country Championships gold medallist Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.