UK ATHLETICS CROSS CHALLENGE AND UK HOME INTERNATIONAL MATCH COME TO LEEDS

*for essential information on parking, course map and entries visit the Leeds Cross Challenge section.

The 2024/25 UK Athletics Cross Challenge series roll on to Temple Newsam in Leeds on Saturday 8 February as the penultimate fixture before the Final next month.

Supported by Sportsshoes, the event also incorporates a UK Home International and Area Match, together with the Celtic Challenge, adding further fire to a scintillating day of action in West Yorkshire. Teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Midland Counties, Northern Athletics and South of England will all line up.

The senior women’s race includes a whole host of Great Britain and Northern Ireland internationals who will be eyeing the top prize on the day. The England team includes four athletes who have represented GB&NI over cross country in recent times with Megan Gadsby (coach: Mick Woods, club: City of Norwich), Jess Gibbon (Reading), Amelia Quirk (Mick Woods, Bracknell) and Mia Waldmann (Mark Booth, Reading) all lining up in England vests.

Gibbon was sixth in Liverpool last November before a 12^th place finish at the Europeans in Türkiye, while Gadsby flew to victory in the U23 race in Liverpool before going onto win team gold as part of the U23 team at the Euros.

The Scotland team also line up with athletes who have enjoyed Cross Challenge success already in 2025 with the 2-3 from the Glasgow event – Morag Millar (Central) and Scout Adkin (Angela Mudge, Ambleside) – pulling on their vests with pride as they seek valuable points ahead of the finale in Nottingham.

The senior men’s contest is wide open with Glasgow winner Jamie Crowe (Derak Easton, Central) lining up for Scotland, and he will be joined by Logan Rees (Ron Morrison, Fife) who enjoyed a superb performance at the Cardiff leg of the Challenge last November as he earned a top ten finish in the World Athletics event;  he was second Cross Challenge counter.

England line-up with third place in Glasgow – Cameron Allan (Craig Winrow, Houghton Harriers) – and James Kingston (Mark Hookway, Tonbridge) who has previous GB&NI call-ups to his name.

Zoe Gilbody (Sarah Benson, Telford) will be a standout contender in the U20 women’s race after several superb displays over the terrain this winter. She won in Glasgow last month which added to her resume which includes a third place in Cardiff and fourth place in Liverpool.

She will face competition from the likes of Zara Redmond (Sarah Dempsey, Kilbarchan) who was third in Glasgow behind Gilbody, while England’s Isabel Holt (Edmund Finucane, Blackburn) and Eliza Nicholson (Tom Craggs, Blackheath and Bromley) are also in-form during the cross season.

As for the U20 men, Thomas Hilton (Moorfoot) will be in confident mood after he swept to victory at Alexandra Park in Glasgow last month. England’s Quinn Miell-Ingram (Wendy Miell-Ingram, Radley) has top five positions from both the Liverpool and Cardiff fixtures of the Challenge, so he will be among those seeking victory in Leeds.

The programme starts at 10am on Saturday with the U11/13 girls race kick starting proceedings. The races will run through to 13:40 when the senior men’s race begins to bring a close to the penultimate event in the series.

Find out more details HERE: https://www.uka.org.uk/competition/running/cross-challenge-series/the-british-athletics-cross-challenge/leeds/